Fate's Wings
by KyoxSakiFan
Summary: Snowkit struggles to live life as a clan cat. Everybody turns their backs on him, until he even starts to give up on himself. But theres someone who refuses to give up on him. SnowkitTawnykit. Basically, a what if he had lived fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Fate's Wings**

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! If I did, well...

ALL MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS WOULDN'T BE DYING!!

Fireheart: oh yeah. That was REALLY creative.

Me: Oh shut up.

Notes: Okay, first of all...I changed things around a little. Like, for the sake of the fic, Snowkit has the ability to hear SLIGHTLY out of his left ear instead of being completely deaf. Also, the Tawnykit goes to Shadowclan thing still happens, however the results will be different! :3

Dedication: This fic is dedicated to my awesome friend Kalo-chan, who quickly became one of my best friends even though I've only known her for a short while. Hope you like this fic my fellow Warriors fanatic!

Pairing: Snowkit x Tawnykit. I have yet to think of a good Warrior name for Snowkit. If anyone has any suggestions, please leave it in your review. Thank you.

Chapter 1

Deep within the nursery, a pair of deep ocean blue eyes blinked open. The young kit stirred, the morning sun dissolving his sweet dreams into bittersweet dust, the memory of the night swept away in the breeze. Snowkit yawned and stretched, his already developing muscles rippling underneath his fluffy white coat. He felt his mother stir beside him, the vibrations that trembled through the ground to Snowkit's paws alerting him of her awareness. He looked towards the entrance guiltily, afraid that he had been too loud by accident. He turned when he felt a familiar sandpaper tongue rasping over his right ear to see that his mother Speckletail had indeed awoken. This was their routine way of saying 'Good Morning', since they couldn't say it properly.

He wouldn't be able to hear her. Snowkit's world was a world void of most sounds, sometimes silent as death.

He had been born almost completely deaf. Most of the time, he couldn't hear anything at all besides an annoying buzzing in his left ear. After a while, he had learned that if he concentrated enough on listening through that ear, he could hear the faint voices of his clan mates, although it was extremely difficult to make out what their exact words were.

His fur prickled when he felt a wave of vibrations hit his paws and he turned to see Speckletail and Goldenflower deep in conversation with Bramblekit and Tawnykit chasing their waving tails.

Snowkit blinked awkwardly. He wanted to join them. He truly did. But...

They weren't aware that he could not hear them. In fact, only his mother knew, and she was bound and determined to keep it a secret. He could tell she was worried. What if the clan found out? Would he be thrown out? Killed? Dumped with twolegs?

No. They wouldn't do that...Would they?

Snowkit was so deep in thought, he was not aware of the danger he was in until he was bowled over by a dusty heap of brown fur. Dazed, Snowkit struggled to his paws, shaking the dust free from his pelt in a vain attempt to keep it clean. Of course, it didn't work. Brown dust + White fur, doesn't quite mix...

Speckletail dashed over immediately, thoroughly inspecting her son for injuries. Once she was satisfied that he was not hurt in any way, she sighed in relief and turned to scold Bramblekit. However, it seems that Goldenflower beat her to it.

"How could you be so mousebrained!?"

Snowkit blinked at the two. That had been the only part of the conversation that he had been able to hear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bramblekit walking up to him, his ears pressed flat against his skull. He murmured something, but Snowkit could do nothing but sit there and stare at his friend, trying to decipher what he was saying. But when Speckletail nudged him urgently, he knew he had to say something.

"It's awight." He murmered awkwardly, his speech slightly slurred because he couldn't even hear his own voice.

Apparently, he must have said the correct thing because he felt a rumbling purr erupt from his mother's pelt.

Their secret was safe.

Or was it?

From the other side of the nursery, Tawnykit watched with her eyes narrowed in thought.

**A:N: Heres the first Chapter everybody! :D I hope you liked it!**


	2. I Will Protect You

OMG! I'm so sorry everyone! I can't believe it took me this long to get the second chappie up! I feel so bad! T.T

Brambleclaw: Oh, stop apologizing and just get to the fic already!

Me: But I have more to say!

Brambleclaw: What!?

Me: This.

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. They are copyrighted to Erin Hunter, I am merely borrowing them for the time being.

Chapter 2

Snowkit sighed and stretched his legs out, further exposing his skin to the bright sunlight. He was sure to burn later, and his mother would be upset, but he needed to feel the warmth on his skin.

The day was turning out to be rather boring. Everybody was off doing their own thing, and this left Snowkit with nothing to do and nobody to play with. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt lonely. He had hoped he could play with Tawnykit today.

_'And Bramblekit too...'_ he added mentally, confused as to why he was hesitant to mention the other male. He was his friend too. So shouldn't he want to play with him too and not just his sister?

Snowkit shook his head slightly to rid himself of these thoughts and buried his face within his furry paws. His thoughts were not helping his sour mood. Maybe some food would make him feel better.

With his mind set, he lifted himself up and shook his coat to rid it off any lingering debree from the forest floor and trotted over to the fresh kill pile.

Snowkit's stomach growled loudly as he approached the pile which had been stocked earlier in the day by the apprentices with various kinds of bird, mouse, and vole. Licking his lips in anticipation, Snowkit grabbed the smallest mouse there and settled down in an uninhabited part of the clearing to eat it. He was only recently weaned, so his stomach still turned slightly every time he swallowed the meat, still unused to the foreign substance. But it tasted so good...

As he ate, his thoughts drifted away again. For some reason, his stomach was churning uncomfortably.

And he knew it wasn't the food.

He had a bad feeling about today. Something was going to happen. He was sure of it, and his gut feeling had never been wrong before. In some ways, he had come to trust it more than his actual judgment.

Gulping down the last of the mouse, Snowkit closed his eyes and nervously began to wash, feeling his body shaking fearfully. He could not get that feeling out of his mind...

"...Tawnykit!"

Snowkit almost fell over in surprise when he suddenly was face to face with piercing green eyes, and the stubborn face of his best friend. Shaking his coat again to rid it of any signs that he had been frightened (he still had his pride), Snowkit settled down again and acknowledged her with a curt nod. "Ello..."

Tawnykit tilted her head to the side in confusion, and Snowkit could not help but be amazed at her innocence. She opened her mouth to speak, and he immediately focused on hearing her voice.

"You talk funny."

He could have sworn he felt his stomach drop. It felt as if he had eaten a ton of bricks, and they had simply gathered in his stomach.

She had just made fun of him...

"But you know what?" He turned to look up at her at that, only hearing the last half of the sentence. "Huh?"

Tawnykit giggled and rasped her tongue over his ear, a purr rumbling throughout her body. "I think it's cute."

His breath hitched in his throat, and he felt his fur grow hot in embarrassment. She thought his speech problem was _cute...?_

She mewed a happy goodbye before trotting back towards the nursery for her afternoon nap, her tail trailing along the paralyzed cats flank.

Snowkit stared after her for a moment, before shaking himself again to rid the feeling that was spreading throughout his body. It felt like he was on fire on the inside, but on the outside he felt uncomfortably numb...

He abruptly ended that train of thought and instead began stalking a thrush in the bushes. He was too absorbed in his game to hear the screams of terror...To hear his name being called frantically...

Before he knew it, he felt sharp talons dig into the fur on his back and thighs and he screamed in pain, paying no mind as the thrush he had been stalking to this as a chance to escape. His body began to lift into the air, and he looked upward as far as the talons would allow to see that he was being carried off by a strange bird.

NO! He didn't want to leave! He wanted to stay down there with his mother, Brackenfur, with his friends!

With Tawnykit...

Speaking of which...

He barely had time to react before a mottled blur leapt passed him and barreled into the bird before it could completely leave the ground, knocking the bird off its feet. Vaguely, he recognized that fur.

"Tawnykit!"

The fearless kit was currently backing up against him from behind, her ears drawn back and a ferocious hiss erupting from her throat, "Stay away from him!"

Having heard every word, Snowkit glanced up at his best friend briefly, a warm feeling erupted in his heart, and he slowly became light headed.

The last thing he saw was the bird leap at Tawnykit, and her posed and ready to fight.

_"Don't worry. I'll protect you..."_

**Authors Note: OMG! I'm so glad I finished this! I hope you like! Please review!**


	3. Friends

**AN: OMG! I'M SO SORRY! I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN FOREVER! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors!**

** Chapter 3**

Darkness...It was as if he was floating. He could feel nothing, nor could he see or hear anything. Just pitch blackness, that seemed to never come to an end.

After a while, he realized that he was now able to feel the blood surging through his veins, and the gentle beating of a heart.

But it wasn't _his._

Slowly, Snowkit struggled into consciousness. His eyes were met with darkness, but not solid darkness. He was able to see the moon shining down on the ground outside. It was then that he realized his current location was within the mouth of Cinderpelt's den (I don't remember if Yellowfang was still medicine cat when this incident occurred so I'm just making Cinderpelt the medicine cat).

As he awakened further, he could feel a throbbing pain in his back. It hurt a lot, but it was a durable pain, and was to be expected. The birds claws had probably dug in deeper than he had originally hoped.

That's when he realized that he was not alone. A small and furry form was curled up against his side, her nose buried deep within the fur coating his flank.

Snowkit felt a strange sort of calmness wash over him. He glanced sadly at the cobwebs covering her entire left side, the wounds obviously made by large talons.

She had gotten these wounds to protect him. His best friend risked her life for his sake. Somebody who was an outcast. Somebody who might get thrown out of the clan if his secret was exposed. What good would her sacrifice be then?

Gently, he wrapped his tail around her and snuggled back into the comfortable bedding, wanting nothing more than to drift back asleep. However, after about an hour of lying awake it became apparent that he was awake for good.

Swallowing his annoyance, Snowkit realized that dawn's first rays were making their way into the den. He briefly glimpsed the dawn patrol leaving camp, who of which consisted of Mousefur, Fireheart, and Graystripe. Yawning, Snowkit suppressed a sudden yelp when he felt Tawnykit stirring, her green eyes glistening when she looked up at him.

"-orning!"

"Huh?" Still trying to shake the drowsiness out of his system, it became apparent that Tawnkykit had spoken to him and was now awaiting an answer. Hoping he was correct upon his assumption, he sent her a quick "Good Morning!" She purred, clearly satisfied with his answer and licked his flank contently.

"Well, it looks as if we really got beat up huh?"

He blinked at her, shocked at how happy and carefree she seemed. She was more injured than she was, shouldn't she be complaining? Wasn't she in any sort of pain?

His suspicions were confirmed when she struggled to sit up, wincing slightly when she put weight on her left leg.

"Now now, be careful Tawnykit! You must not strain that leg for another week at least!"

Both kits looked up just in time to see Cinderpelt striding into the den, a fresh vole hanging from her jaws. Briefly, Snowkit wondered just when Cinderpelt had left the den. Perhaps she had left while he was struggling to stay awake?

"Eat." She commanded, dropping the food in front of them. After sharing his breakfast with Tawnykit, Cinderpelt took a moment to sniff at their wounds and change the cobwebs wrapped around Tawnykit's left side.

"Now, try and get some more rest. I'll come and check on you later. I'll go tell your mother's that you're awake."

Snowkit watched her leave for a moment, his blue eyed gaze following her every move. Once it registered that he was indeed alone with Tawnykit, he decided to talk to her.

"Why?"

She paused, having been grooming his back, and turned her watchful gaze upon him. "What?"

"Why did you do what you did? Tawnykit, you stood no better chance than I did. So why did you put yourself in danger for me?"

"Because you're my friend silly!"

He had barely heard her, but what he heard was enough to fill him with warmth.

_'Friends...'_

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm alright."

_'We really are friends...Aren't we?'_

_**An: Okay, Another chapter down. Hope you like! X3**_


	4. Whats His Problem?

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! This story was cooked up by my own imagination and has nothing to do with the original series.

AN: Once again, I am sorry for lack of consistent updates. I'm not very good at updating regularly. In order for me to write, I need to be in the mood for it. And I haven't been in that mood lately...Sorry. But I'm in that mood now! So I'm updating! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

After about a week, Cinderpelt let them walk around a little so long as they didn't strain themselves too badly. Currently, they were sitting outside Cinderpelt's den and enjoying the sunshine (I Don't remember what time of year it was when Snowkit was alive in the book so I'm just making it Summer) that Greenleaf brought. He had just finished sharing his breakfast with Tawnykit, and Bramblekit had joined them.

"You feeling any better?" Bramblekit asked his sister gently. He had been terrified when he saw the wounds she had obtained from the hawk, and was more than just a little concerned for her well being.

"I'm fine silly. Now stop worrying about me. I already have Cinderpelt breathing down my neck, I don't need you on my back about it too." She swatted him playfully on the ear and turned her attention to Snowkit, who had been unusually quiet this morning. "You okay?"

"Huh?" He snapped out of his thoughts, not expecting the sudden question."Did you say something?"

"Geeze, you're turning into a space cadet. What's with you lately? Are you still in pain?"

"Well, uh, not...really.." He cursed himself when his voice slurred a little at the end of the sentence. Of all times for his speech to screw up, it had to be now.

"You're getting better."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your speech. You barely mess up at all now." Oh great, did she have to bring it up in front of Bramblekit?

"I guess." He murmured, feeling his fur grow hot with embarrassment. "So, uh, when do you think Cinderpelt will let us out?" He figured that right about now would be a perfect time to change the subject. If either of the siblings noticed the awkwardness, they didn't show it.

"Well, Cinderpelt said that we should be able to leave in time for our naming ceremony. We're going to be apprentices!" She was unable to contain the rumbling purr at the thought and Bramblekit nuzzled her affectionately.

"I'm just glad she's not keeping you here forever, I miss you in the nursery."

It hit him like a bolt of lightening. The next time he leaves this den, he will be going to the apprentices den to sleep, not the nursery. It was a slightly scary thought, and he decided to let himself ponder it later. "I'm bored."

"Me too. There's nothing that we can do about it though." Tawnykit sighed, not used to the extreme boredom. "I would go find something to chase, but not only are we pretty much confined to this spot but I'm worried my legs might give out on me if I did..."

Snowkit mewed in agreement and bent his head to wash his chest where the fur was beginning to tangle. Despite his short fur, it still managed to become a tangled mess every couple hours.

"Good morning." Snowkit barely heard the newcomers voice, but forced himself to say a muffled, "Morning" in response to the newcomers greeting. Briefly, he thought he recognized that voice, but he was still unsure of himself when it came to his hearing.

After he finally finished washing a few minutes later, Snowkit shook himself and realized that the newcomer had been Fireheart, and he was currently asking Tawnykit about her injuries.

"So, you three excited about your apprentice ceremony?"

"Of course!" They all managed to reply in unison, and Fireheart chuckled in amusement.

"That's good. Your mentors will have to keep an eye on you three..." It didn't go unnoticed by Snowkit that Firehearts eyes ghosted specifically over Bramblekit as he said this, and from the fiery look in Tawnkykit's eyes, she noticed too.

"Geeze, what's his problem!?" She hissed after Fireheart had walked out of hearing distance. "He's always doing that, singling out my brother. It's really starting to tick me off, he hasn't done anything."

Snowkit stared curiously after Fireheart, his thoughts along the same line as Tawnykits. Just what WAS his problem anyway?

A:N: Okay, hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will have the naming ceremony. BTW: I forgot who mentored Tawnykit while she was in the clan, can someone tell me? I feel really bad, but I am very forgetful. XD


	5. Nightmares, and moonlit interogation

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors in any way, shape, or form. Honestly, I just turned 15 today, do you really think I could own a famous book series!?

AN: Alright. Just some important notes and chapter discussion here. It has been pointed out to me that I have changed the storyline around a little, which I did. Because I found it necessary. So there will be a lot of changes. Also, I know that the timeline is really confusing, but that is because…well…I honestly haven't read a Warriors book in forever…However, since this is fan fiction I guess it's okay to have the timeline screwed up a little bit right? -- I will try to get the timeline at least sort of reasonable though…Also, there are some mentor changes, which is necessary. Also I will make it clear that this story will not involve many of the other cats, so therefore they will not be mentioned very often. And the timeline when Tawnykit leaves the clan may be screwed up, unless someone helps me. So, if anyone wants to help me so I can give my readers a halfway decent story, please PM me. It would be much appreciated, and you will get a one-shot as a thank you. Now, on with the story.

Chapter 5

Snowpaw breathed in the spicy smell that hung on the breeze as it whipped gently against his face, comforting him in its warm embrace. He sighed and turned his attention to Tawnypaw, who slept in one of the warm nests behind him. He sat at the entrance to the apprentices den, which is where he had forced himself to move when sleep had failed to embrace him time and time again. He had dozed off once, only to have a nightmare that jolted him awake in an instant.

He refused to believe that he was just exhausted after their apprentice ceremony earlier that day. Sure, the whole ordeal did leave him dead on his paws, but his gut instincts told him that it was something else altogether.

He was overall happy with how the apprentice ceremony had gone though. Brackenfur was his mentor, Sandstorm was Tawnypaw's mentor, and Bramblepaw's mentor was Fireheart, the clan deputy.

Snowpaw felt his fur bristle slightly at the thought of the older cat. Sure, he liked Fireheart. He was pleasant and kind, and he usually got along with his very well. However, the glances and glares that he silently threw at Bramblepaw were starting to seriously annoy him. As far as he was concerned, Bramblepaw had done nothing to deserve such glances. Each time he caught Fireheart sending him another glance, he was forced to stay silent. The tension was building however, and he couldn't help but be suspicious of Fireheart's actions.

It couldn't be just a coincidence that Fireheart ended up as Bramblepaw's mentor. Something was going on. But despite racking his brain for hours, Snowpaw was no closer to finding the answer.

Snowpaw sighed in frustration and allowed his thoughts to drift to his recent nightmare. He had been standing in the middle of the clearing where the clan usually gathered for meetings. However, instead of the rustle of bodies that would normally occupy the clearing, everything had been deadly silent. Not even a cricket had been chirping. The moon had burned into his fur from above, and his instincts had driven him to the camp entrance.

Crouching down, Snowpaw made sure not to put a lot of weight on his still sensitive side and quietly settled down in a patch of tall grass, making sure to conceal himself well.

That's when he felt the tremble underneath his paws and concentrated on listening for anything out of the ordinary. He heard a rustle, and was shocked when Tawnypaw stepped lightly out of the apprentice's den, glancing around warily. Snowpaw fought the urge to call out to her and pressed himself more firmly against the chilly ground, forcing his breathing to remain steady.

Just what was Tawnypaw doing!?

Suddenly, there was a scenery change, and he found himself sitting near the border to Shadowclan, which he recognized from his young kit days, when he had snuck out of the nursery to do some exploring (He had been rescued later). His confusion was cleared up however, when he saw a massive tabby step over the border and sit just inside ThunderClan territory. Snowpaw wrinkled his nose instinctively against the overwhelming scent that hinted that this cat was no doubt a ShadowClan cat.

He tried to move his body, to run to camp and alert them that there was a trespasser on their territory, but he found himself unable to move a single muscle. It was if he had become paralyzed, simply rooted to the spot. His stomach churned uneasily, and he whipped around when he heard a nose behind him.

Tawnypaw stepped out of a bundle of weeds, stopping for a moment to shake the brambles from her fur before striding towards the tabby.

Snowpaw gasped and tried to call out to her, but trembled in fear when he realized his voice was gone. He could only watch as Tawnypaw strode to the tabby's side, and with a quick nod of acknowledgement from the other cat, they disappeared over the ShadowClan border.

He had woken up with a start, his fur feeling unusually hot and stuffy. That is how he had ended up where he was currently residing.

He lowered himself down to the cold ground and curled his tail around his paws, keeping silent vigil over the silent camp. He shivered when he realized just how much the silence reminded him of his dream.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he noticed a rustle of movement out of the corner of his eye. His heart lept fearfully, but after further inspection it turned out to only be Fireheart, who had left the warriors den and was quickly making his way towards him. Snowpaw tried to not be unnerved under Fireheart's burning gaze, but it seemed to be an impossible task.

"What are you doing up Snowpaw?" Snowpaw took a moment to take in Fireheart's appearance. He looked every bit as tired as he felt! So why was he awake?

"I had a nightmare, and I've been unable to sleep since. I can't explain it but…It felt like the air in the den was suffocating me…?" He left off his sentence as a question, unsure if Fireheart would even understand what he was talking about. He felt a little bit happier when Fireheart nodded in response, silently telling him to go on.

"I know it was just a nightmare, but every time I close my eyes it flashes behind my eyes. Even though I feel ready to drop, I just can't sleep.."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Not really…" He was going to say more, before something hit him like a ton of bricks.

He was alone with Fireheart. Now would be the perfect chance to question him about his recent actions.

Letting determination fuel his blood, Snowpaw cleared his throat slightly, catching Fireheart's attention immediately. "Fireheart, why do you always single out Bramblepaw?"

Fireheart froze, his eyes suddenly uneasy. "What do you me-"

Finally, Snowpaw had enough. "Don't lie to me you mouse brained fool! Everybody can see it! And as far as I know, I'm not the only one that's sick of it! I have no idea what you have against my friend, but I will no longer tolerate watching you single him out all the time! I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you drove him away completely! Get over yourself! Whatever you have against Bramblepaw, it's blinding you to who he really is. What will it take to open your eyes? To watch his walk out that tunnel and never come back!?"

Fireheart drew back as if he had been struck, guilt clouding his eyes. Snowpaw shook his head in disgust and turned around, heading back to his sleeping place. He glanced at Bramblepaw, who was sleeping near his sister. Feeling suddenly protective of the siblings, Snowpaw settled himself between them, allowing them to unconsciously draw warmth and comfort from his body.

He finally allowed their soft breathing to lull him to sleep.

AN: So, what do you think?


	6. Is something wrong?

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own the Warriors series in any way. I am not making profits off of these. Now shoo crazy lawyers!

Note: Alright! Thank you Kalo-chan for being the beta reader! You're like, my best buddy girl! -Hug- Alright! On with the update!

The next day, the three newest apprentices were taken on a tour around the grounds by their mentors as their first day of training. Snowpaw twitched anxiously as they passed the Great Sycamore and came ever closer to the ShadowClan border. Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw were walking silently on either side of him, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

Snowpaw unconsciously found his gave drifting to Tawnypaw out of the corner of his eye. He tried to fight down the nervousness that was rising from the depths of his paws, but to no avail. Especially when Tawnykit's paw steps quickened when they approached the ShadowClan border, as if she already knew where it was. Snowpaw involuntarily shivered when his dream flashed behind his eyes again.

Tawnypaw's eyes full of sadness and determination, the large tomcat that welcomed her, his gaze had been icy, yet it held an unusual warmth. But the thing that got him most, was that Bramblepaw could have been this cat's twin.

Snowpaw was forced out of his nervous thoughts when they stopped near the Thunder path, the ShadowClan border in clean sight. Fireheart stopped to mark the boundary before speaking, "This is the ShadowClan border, on the other side of the thunder path. Memorize their scent well, for we might have a dispute with them in the near future."

"Why do you say that?" Tawnypaw boldly spoke up, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Well, our patrols have discovered the remains of ShadowClan scent on our territory. I-I mean Bluestar, is worried about what they could possibly be doing on our territory."

Snowpaw narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Did Fireheart just change what he meant to say? His suspicions were confirmed when Sandstorm stepped forward and laced her tail gently with Fireheart's, whispering words of comfort in his ears. Something was going on, Snowpaw knew that much. But that wasn't the only thing that worried him.

Why had Tawnypaw looked so nervous when Fireheart revealed that they might soon be in conflict with ShadowClan? Now his dream seemed even more real, and Snowpaw unconsciously shifted closer to Tawnypaw, resting his tail along her flank to calm the nervousness he felt rising from her. She jumped slightly and sent him a questioning glance, which he chose not to reply to.

Snowpaw was unable to calm himself down the entire time they spent out that day.

...

When they arrived back at camp, Snowpaw grabbed a vole from the fresh kill pile and went to go eat it in a secluded area of camp. Normally, he could have sat down to eat with his companions, but his nerves had yet to be calmed and he didn't want to answer any questions. Besides, he needed some time to think about the current situation.

So, he had been having nightmares, nothing too unusual. However, with each nightmare the unmistakable pool of dread seemed to grow larger within his gut. He was starting to become severely paranoid, looking over his shoulder all the time, and constantly keeping a lookout for Tawnypaw.

He felt his fur heat up in embarrassment when he realized how stupid he must look to her now. Avoiding questions all the time, throwing her glances every three seconds...

Performing random acts of affection...

He blinked and almost choked on his food when he realized how intimate they must have looked. The thought sent a shiver racing up his spine. He was so absorbed in his thoughts, that he didn't even realize she had approached until she prodded him in the side with her left paw.

He jumped and whirled around to face her, his food lying forgotten on the ground at his feet. She was standing next to him with a mouse in her jaws, shuffling her feet nervously. "Hey."

"Hey.." 'Nice Going! You sound like a mouse brained fool! Keep it up!' "Uh, is something wrong Tawnypaw?"

"I was actually going to ask you the same thing." She sat down next to him, her food also lying forgotten in the grass. "Why are you eating by yourself? Are you mad at me"

"M-mad at you? No! Where did you get that idea?" He couldn't hide the shock from his voice. Where did she get the idea that he was mad at her?

"Well, you keep staring at me..." So she HAD noticed. He felt his fur heat up again, and he shook it to rid himself of the annoying sensation.

"No, I'm not mad at you. I just...I can't tell you now...I'm sorry." She sighed and wrapped her tail with his, eyes shining sadly.

"Okay then. Just promise me that if something is seriously bothering you, you'll tell me. Okay?"

The words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop them, "Okay, I promise." Tawnypaw then went back to eating, looking much more content than she had before.

Snowpaw had already broken his promise.

**Okay, I've noticed that nobody has been reviewing. Well, I refuse to update until I get at least 3 reviews, because that HURT people. So many read and don't review. Even if its all constructive criticism, PLEASE REVIEW.**


	7. Sickness

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: As I have stated previously, I do not own, or claim to own, Warriors in any way. This wonderful series is copyrighted to Erin Hunter. I am merely borrowing them for the amusement.

The next week went by like a flash. Despite his efforts, Snowpaw simply couldn't concentrate fully on his duties as an apprentice.

Not only did his worries for Tawnypaw distract him, but he had been feeling strangely sick as of the past couple days. His head constantly ached and throbbed, and he found that his head was becoming cloudy.

He had become so used to concentrating on hearing, that he usually automatically did it. Which gave off the illusion of him being normal. But with his head as cloudy as it was, he was unable to concentrate on his hearing; the result being several of his clanmates noticing his distress.

"Are you alright Snowpaw?" He was snapped out of his daze when Brackenfur nudged him gently, his eyes boring into his own.

"W-What?" Brackenfur's meow had been nothing but a blur to him, proving that he must be indeed sick. He grimaced when he realized that Brackenfur was watching him more intently now, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Snowpaw, I asked if you're feeling well. You don't look well, I think you should go and see Cinderpelt." Snowpaw sighed, welcoming the distraction.

"Okay…" Brackenfur's expression softened and he rasped his tongue gently over Snowpaw's ear.

"Next time, if you feel sick just tell me."

Snowpaw nodded and trudged back to camp, not even bothering to shake the dust from his coat that he had acquired while in the training hollow.

--

"Honestly, how could you be so mouse brained!?"

Snowpaw sighed and purposely tuned Cinderpelt out, not having any desire to listen to her lecture. Besides, every time he concentrated on his hearing his headache seemed to grow worse. It was becoming rather bothersome.

He forced himself to pay attention again when Cinderpelt began dropping herbs in front of him, ordering him silently to chew them. He chewed them up and swallowed the herbs without complaint, and went to rest in the bedding Cinderpelt had prepared for him already. Apparently, he WAS sick.

He didn't pay enough attention to learn what exactly he had though, so he was in the dark about his condition. He found himself hoping that it wouldn't develop into anything too serious, especially since he had just started his sparring training.

Despite his worries and recent sickness, he had found himself enjoying his training. Not only did it keep his mind busy, but he enjoyed the rush he felt whenever his paws drummed on the sandy ground of the training hollow. Although it left his fur looking dirty and unkept, for those few hours he was allowed to feel truly alive. Sometimes while sparring with Brackenfur, he envisioned himself caught within the heat of battle, his claws gleaming as he lept at the enemy with no intent of losing the battle.

So far, Brackenfur had been a great mentor despite the poor attention he had received from Graystripe as an apprentice. He had never been late for training, and never failed to bring forth the best in his headstrong apprentice.

Sandstorm was doing just as well, if not a little better. She was very good at directing Tawnypaw, who could be just as stubborn and wild as her mentor. The thought made Snowpaw's whiskers curl in amusement. Those two really were quite the pair.

Which brought up the subject of Fireheart and Bramblepaw.

Snowpaw's amusement instantly dissolved, and he found himself overcome with dislike for the flame colored tom. Despite their recent conversation, Fireheart still seemed to be uneasy around his apprentice. This never ceased to get on Snowpaw's nerves. He couldn't help but wonder how Bramblepaw was taking it.

As he sat lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice the quiet paw steps that were coming steadily closer until they rested in front of him and a wet nose pressed into his side.

He jumped and turned to see Tawnypaw staring at him with worry in her pretty green eyes. "Are you ok?"

His head throbbed again, and he shook his head silently, unsure how to answer her. "Tawnypaw, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Sandstorm at the training hollow?"

She shuffled nervously, and he knew he wasn't going to like the answer. "Tawnypaw…"

She glanced at him with guilty eyes, somehow managing to keep her voice steady. "I heard you were sick. I was worried, so I snuck out when she wasn't looking…"

Snowpaw sighed in frustration, not at all surprised. "Tawnypaw, Sandstorm's going to be furious, you know that. Besides, I don't know if whatever I have is contagious or not. You really shouldn't be here."

As if on cue, a loud yowl was heard outside. Sandstorm was looking for Tawnypaw.

Tawnypaw sighed, but didn't move from her spot beside Snowpaw. "I'm not going back. I wouldn't be able to concentrate knowing that you're sick. Besides, if I get sick to you can have some company."

Snowpaw gave up trying to convince her, knowing it was useless. Once she had her mind set, there was no use trying to change it.

So he allowed himself to bask in her warmth until Cinderpelt and Sandstorm discovered their position and ushered Tawnypaw out, scolding her with every step.

'_Somehow, I know…Something's wrong…'_

**AN: Alright! I'm sorry for my lack of updates! School has started people, and I've been busy! Not only that, but I haven't been up to writing either. I promise I'll try to update more often! I'm also sorry for the horrible quality of this chapter. It's because I haven't been writing much lately.**


	8. Chapter 8

As the beta, can I ask you a few favors

Chapter 8

AN: Alright. An update. Sorry that updates aren't frequent, but I've been in a really depressed mood lately. Like seriously, it's been driving me down. I should probably be taking medicine for it or something, but I'll try to deal with it on my own for the time being. Hopefully my updates will be more frequent.

Note: Another fluffy chapter. Not much development, it's more of a filler until I get more help on the definite timeline here. I need to know just when exactly Tawnypaw leaves for ShadowClan, and the dog attack, etc. Because I want to keep this as close to cannon as I can. Although I'm thinking about keeping Swiftpaw alive. Cause I was quite fond of him, and I want to change the pairings around a bit…(I want it to be a Cloud paw x Bright paw x Swiftpaw triangle) Now, enough with my annoying rambling. ON TO THE CHAPTER!

It was about a week later, and Snowpaw found himself still residing in Cinderpelt's den, feeling just as sick as he had before. As it turned out, whatever he had was quite contagious, and now Tawnypaw sat in the bedding beside him, looking bored and tired.

A few other cats had caught it as well, Sandstorm among them. After some investigating, it was determined that the sickness was caused by a diseased rabbit that was brought into camp by Swiftpaw, who was heavily scolded. He was among the cats residing in Cinderpelt's den.

Tawnypaw sighed and buried her head within her paws, her ears and tail twitching in annoyance. "Great, now we won't be able to go to training for at least a moon!"

Snowpaw's whiskers curled in amusement, "I thought you said you wouldn't mind getting sick. Regret it now Tawnypaw?"

She grunted, clearly annoyed by his words, but chose not to reply. He found himself glad she hadn't, and settled his head on his dirty paws. His head was aching again, and he was tempted to just curl up and sleep. However, he wanted to stay awake a little longer considering he had done nothing BUT sleep the past few days.

Finally giving in, he stopped concentrating on hearing the sounds around him, feeling his world suddenly go almost eerily silent. The pounding of his head ceased a little, and he allowed himself to drift a little longer in his realm of silence.

He found himself doing that a lot lately, finding comfort in silence's embrace. It allowed him to simply drift away and become lost in himself. It was something he had been longing to do more and more as of late, due to the recent issues.

He felt the vibration of pawsteps coming nearer, and sighed knowing it was Cinderpelt coming to check on him. Making sure he would be able to hear her, he prepared himself for her arrival.

He was surprised to find it was Bluestar.

"Hello Snowpaw." She greeted, making sure to stay off to the side so she didn't catch the sickness. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really…" He forced himself to answer honestly, despite his immediate instinct to lie and say he was 'fine'. "My head hurts pretty bad…" He expected a response from Tawnypaw, however once he turned he found she had indeed fallen asleep. Perhaps the stress from the past few days had finally caught up with her.

"I see." Her once beautiful blue eyes seemed to dull a little more, something that was no longer a rare occurrence. Despite not being close to the once inspiring leader, Snowpaw could feel that there was indeed something wrong.

He was about to inquire as to what it was when he caught whiff of Cinderpelt's scent.

"Bluestar! You mustn't stay in here! You cannot catch this disease! Who knows how far it will spread!" Cinderpelt rushed in, gently ushering Bluestar out. "I understand you are worried Bluestar, but you mustn't risk your health. I assure you everyone will be just fine."

Bluestar looked ready to argue, but within moments her look returned to the old and defeated look she often wore. "If you say so Cinderpelt…" She mewed quietly as she dragged herself back towards her den.

Cinderpelt's eyes followed her, shining with worry. "Bluestar…"

Snowpaw jumped at the chance, curiosity and worry getting the best of him. "There's something wrong with her, isn't there?"

Cinderpelt stiffened for a moment, before allowing herself to relax, her eyes showing indecision. After a few moments, she choked out a reply. "Y-Yes…"

When she did not continue, Snowpaw gave up, quickly realizing she was not going to give him anymore information. He turned his attention back to Tawnypaw, who was blinking awake after her short nap. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing important Tawnypaw. Go back to sleep."

She narrowed her sleepy eyes in suspicion, lifting herself to trot over to him. "You're lying to me."

Snowpaw sighed in frustration, not really wanting to explain himself to his friend. "Yeah, you're right. But it's nothing serious, and I'm really too tired to explain. Can we talk about it some other time? I feel like I just got hit by a monster."

Rolling her eyes at his childish response, Tawnypaw settled herself down beside him, wary of the onlooker. Despite all the other diseased cats being asleep, Cinderpelt was nearby and obviously listening to their conversation.

"You're so stubborn…"

At any other time, he would had snorted and retorted that SHE was the stubborn one, but at the current time he was in no mood for the argument that was sure to follow. "Whatever…"

Letting the subject drop, Tawnypaw curled up next to Snowpaw, who was already falling asleep. _'What do I do?'_

Her green eyes were shining with worry, something that rarely showed on her face. _'Can I accept his request? I'll be accepted…Finally get respect. But…Can I bring myself to leave Snowpaw and Bramblepaw?'_

She finally drifted off to sleep.

AN: Ok, so that turned out a little less fluffy than I wanted. Oh well. -Shrugs-

You can deal with it. PLEASE REVIEW!


	9. She doesn't trust us!

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.

AN: -Is updating despite being completely discouraged by the lack of reviews- Jeeze people, is my writing seriously that terrible? If it is, tell me please!! I'm sorry if it's because of my short chapters, I've never been able to pull off decent sized chapters…

On another note, I've decided to just change the timeline around. After all, this is a slight AU, so I guess I'm allowed to do that. XD Besides, nobody is helping me, and I'm sick of putting out filler chapters…And I just realized that I totally screwed up the timeline here. XD Oh well. I want Snowpaw, Tawnypaw, Brambleclaw, and Cloudpaw and everyone to be apprentices at the same time, it's significant to the story later on. I'm sorry if I'm confusing all of you. XD Cloudpaw's mentor will be Frostfur.

After the sickness had passed about a week later, everybody went back to their occupations. It was currently time for the gathering, which meant that most of the apprentices were bouncing with anticipation.

"I wonder who Bluestar will choose to go to the gathering?" Brightpaw meowed, trying her best to look only vaguely interested.

Swiftpaw snorted, curling up into his bedding. "Certainly not me, that's for sure!"

"Oh, stop being such a sourpuss. You never know." Tawnypaw retorted, rolling her eyes at Swiftpaw's childish behavior. "Besides, everybody gets chosen at least once."

Snowpaw shook his head in exasperation from his place beside her, having long given up on trying to quell his friend's increasingly irritable temper. "I'm more worried about what will happen at the gathering."

"Yeah! I wonder if Bluestar is going to confront Tigerstar about all the signs of ShadowClan on our territory!" Cloudpaw spoke up, choking out the ShadowClan name as if it was a disease.

Snowpaw started when Tawnypaw noticeably stiffened beside him, a low rumbling growl erupting from her throat.

Cloudpaw either didn't notice, or didn't care. "If it was me, I'd teach that no good Tigerclaw a lesson!"

This time a full blown hiss escaped her, "Shut up Cloudpaw! You don't know anything!"

Cloudpaw reeled back as if he had been hit, "Jeez, what's your problem!?"

"What's YOUR problem mouse brain!?" Snowpaw and Brightpaw looked on with fear while Swiftpaw just ignored them. "I'm merely telling the truth!"

"What do you know about Tigerstar and ShadowClan!? You have no right to sit here and rant about ShadowClan like they're some kind of plague! You don't own the forest!"

Cloudpaw probably would've lept at Tawnypaw's throat had a loud booming voice not silenced them, "Enough!"

Snowpaw jumped, having not heard Fireheart approach at all. The intensity in Fireheart's voice however, caused his ears to ache slightly, and he scratched them with his paw in a vein attempt to quell the ache.

Fireheart glared at every one of them, his voice sounding tired and irritated. "I came to tell you that Cloudpaw and Snowpaw have been chosen to appear at the gathering tonight."

Both white apprentices glanced at each other in surprise, all previous anger forgotten. The rest looked slightly put out, or angry, but didn't say anything.

"I suggest you get ready, we're leaving soon." With that, Fireheart left the den.

"Told you." Swiftpaw murmured, his fur prickling with anger. "Bluestar doesn't trust us."

"What do you mean?" Now this had caught Snowpaw's attention. "We're her own clan, shouldn't she trust us?"

"Of course not. To her, we all look like blood thirty traitors!" Tawnypaw spat, surprising Snowpaw with the amount of hate inched into her voice.

Fernpaw, Thornpaw, and Ashpaw chose this moment to walk in, looking around at all the irritable faces with surprise.

"What's going on?" Fernpaw asked, worry reflecting in her eyes.

"Nothing important Fernpaw." Tawnypaw hissed before leaving the den, Bramblepaw following close behind her, obviously trying to calm her down. "I'll be napping somewhere else if anyone needs me."

Snowpaw sighed, for once wishing that he was indeed deaf. "She can be such a pain sometimes…"

Fireheart's yowl sounded, and Snowpaw and Cloudpaw sprang up in unison. "Time to go then."

Cloudpaw nodded, following him out of the den.

--

It was still quite humid when they entered fourtrees to find the other clans already present. Bluestar looked slightly hesitant to enter, but after a nudge from Whitestorm pulled herself together and trotted up to the rock where she would address all the cats.

After taking her place beside Tallstar who nodded in respect, the gathering started.

"I'm glad you've recovered well Bluestar. Last gathering you weren't feeling very well we were told. I must say, I was quite worried." Tallstar mewed, voicing his worries.

"I am perfectly fine Tallstar. It'll take more than a little smoke to put me out of commission." Bluestar replied a bit coldly, surprising the black and white cat. "Would you like to address us first?"

It was around this time that Snowpaw stopped paying attention, despite the rudeness of his actions. His ear was still sore, and his hearing was becoming rather blurry anyway. So, he merely sat respectfully and pretended like he was listening.

As Tigerstar stepped forward to address the assembled clans, Snowpaw allowed himself to scan the other cats present at the gathering. Nearby, a large white cat with odd black paws sat, gazing up at Tigerstar with admiration in his eyes. Snowpaw couldn't help but shiver, unaccustomed to seeing such menacing cats. Darkstripe wasn't anywhere near as frightening as the tom Snowpaw later found to be Blackfoot, Tigerstar's deputy.

Trying to find more pleasant cats, he sought out some apprentices. To his dismay, most were blocked from sight by the towering warriors around them. Fighting the urge to sigh, Snowpaw turned his gaze back to the clan leaders, quickly discovering he had missed something important.

Every cat was staring at Bluestar with expressions akin to shock, some with anger as well. Her blue eyes were flashing like lightening, and she looked more fierce yet broken than he'd ever seen her.

After a moment of trying to figure out what was going on, Snowpaw gave up when he realized that the gathering was over. As he followed Cloudpaw (Who didn't look anywhere near as shocked as some of the other cats, he in fact looked quite calm) to where ThunderClan was meeting up to leave, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that several other cats were glancing their way, many of them glaring at Bluestar. Swallowing down his unease, he allowed himself to become lost in the cats surrounding him and followed them back to camp.

Upon returning home however, he found himself wishing he was anywhere BUT home.

Bramblepaw ran towards them the second they entered the tunnel, his eyes wide open with fright. "Fireheart!"

"What's wrong Bramblepaw?" For once, Fireheart looked completely taken aback, unused to the look of dread on his apprentices face.

"Tawnypaw's gone!"

AN: Ok, so…Yeah….I personally think this is terrible. PLEASE REVIEW ANYWAY!


	10. Why Did You Leave Me?

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! This fanfic is a purely fanmade piece by me!

AN: Alright, so this is where the plotline really starts changing from that of the book. In the end, most things will end up the same, with some major differences but…Just thought I might let you know…Also, I want to thank those who reviewed! Yes, I admit, I love reviews. Even if it just says 'cool' or something, it makes me feel like I've done my job as a fan fiction author and brought entertainment to my readers. When I don't get reviews, it lowers my confidence a lot. XD Now, on with the chapter!

Chapter 10

The next few days seemed to pass by slowly, as if Snowpaw was in a trance. The sky had grown gray and dreary, showering them all with near constant rain; he chose to ignore it however.

His coat was soaked, but he refused to go back. His feet padded softly on the muddy ground, and he forced himself to hide his disgust when mud seeped into his fur. Brackenfur kept a steady pace beside him, occasionally letting his eyes wash over him with worry.

Doing his best to ignore Brackenfur's existence, Snowpaw raised his nose once more, doing his best to sniff out any trace of Tawnypaw's scent, even though he knew it would've been long washed away by the rain. Bluestar's words still rang in his head, haunting his mind. He'd tried to deny the truth in her words, and yet he knew he couldn't run from reality forever…

"_There was no sign of a struggle, and her scent disappeared over the ShadowClan border. There is no denying that she left of her own accord. There is nothing we can do but bring it up to Tigerstar at the next gathering."_

For the first time in his life, he felt true hatred prickling at his fur. He hated Bluestar, he hated Fireheart, he hated all of them. How could they just stand back and wait? Didn't Tawnypaw mean ANYTHING to them?

"Snowpaw, we have to go back…We'll both get sick at this rate." Snowpaw whipped around, his glare intensified.

"Yeah, and what will that accomplish!? My best friend is gone, and you expect me to sit around and wait!?" He hissed, despite feeling the familiar ache of a cold pounding within his ears. He would probably be unable to hear properly for about a week, but nothing else seemed to matter anymore.

"Please Snowpaw…" Brackenfur's eyes were pleading, genuine concern shining within them. "You have to understand that there's nothing we can do right now, except wait…I'm really sorry…"

If cats could cry, he probably would've broken down and began sobbing around this point. As it was however, he couldn't cry. However, his heart was sobbing, filling his entire body with a dense ache that could only be described as 'Heartache'. "O-Okay…"

Brackenfur nudged him as a small form of comfort, silently letting him know he was there. Snowpaw sent him a grateful look, sighing loudly as they re-entered the camp entrance.

Fireheart was waiting for them, his coat soaked as well. Bramblepaw was sitting next to him, obviously having been too stubborn to stay in the den with everybody else. Snowpaw trotted immediately to his friend, his head hung sadly. He hadn't needed to say a word, for Bramblepaw already understood.

"Come on, we'll catch a cold." Bramblepaw muttered, doing his best to hold his composure in front of the older cats. Snowpaw nodded and followed him silently to the apprentices den, his ears straining to hear what Brackenfur was saying to Fireheart.

"We didn't find anything, as I suspected. Snowpaw's really upset…"

Fireheart sighed in exasperation, looking old and defeated for the first time in his life. "I can't believe this…Why would she have left like that?"

"Maybe she felt more respected in ShadowClan. After all, it's well known that many cats don't trust her and Bramblepaw entirely because of who their father was." Brackenfur offered, his eyes narrowing pointedly in Fireheart's direction. "I have a feeling you know exactly what I'm talking about Fireheart."

Fireheart's eyes seemed to cloud over with guilt, and Snowpaw fought the angered hiss that threatened to escape his sore throat. So NOW he felt guilty!? Did they all really expect Tawnypaw to sit there and take it for the rest of her life!? It was injustice, to blame both Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw for something their father did. They weren't even old enough to know what he'd looked like before!

"I…I can't help it. Every time I look at Bramblepaw, I see Tigerstar's eyes flashing back at me…I guess I let fear take over me, it was a foolish thing for me to do. I know Bramblepaw is different, I don't see the ambition in his gaze like I did Tigerstar. But…I just…I'm a fool aren't I?"

"No, it's quite understandable. It is well known how much you and Tigerstar loathed each other. However, I must say that your actions, as well as everyone else's, were much uncalled for. I'm quite surprised she hadn't left earlier." Feeling as if he'd said enough, Brackenfur made his way towards the warriors den, leaving Fireheart to stand in the rain alone, his head racing with all the thoughts in his mind.

Snowpaw and Bramblepaw entered the apprentices den without a word, settling down in their usual nests of grass and leaves, pressed unusually close together. Despite Bramblepaw having not said a word, Snowpaw could feel that he needed companionship, someone to show that he wasn't alone in his struggle. Bramblepaw sent him a grateful glance before burying his head in his paws, sneezing lightly into the dirt.

Snowpaw held back a sneeze himself (Making a mental note to visit Cinderpelt later), and curled up himself. He realized that he hadn't even bothered to clean the mud off his paws, but decided that he was too exhausted to even attempt to clean himself, both physically and mentally. What he wouldn't give to just lie down and sleep for a moon.

All the other apprentices were already asleep, if a bit restlessly. Snowpaw sighed lightly when he felt Bramblepaw's breathing even out next to him, signaling that his friend had fallen into an uneasy sleep. Despite his efforts, Snowpaw knew that he'd be unable to sleep a wink that night, his mind too preoccupied to settle into sleep.

'_Why…Why did you leave me Tawnypaw?' _

AN: Alright! End of chapter! Lots of angst for you! I tried to emphasize how Tawnypaw's disappearance brought out the friendship of Bramblepaw and Snow paw a little more, I hope I succeeded. :D R&R everyone!


	11. See Your Face Again

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Warriors. Honestly, you saw how I messed with the timeline. If I owned Warriors, the book series wouldn't be as popular!

AN: Alright. Time to update. I'm estimating about ten to fifteen chapters left of this story. I already know how it will end, but I'm having trouble getting there. XD I'm going to introduce Blood Clan a little earlier in the series. Confusing, I know. But I need it in order for Snowpaw too…You'll have to wait to find out. ^^ Now, on with the chapter!

Chapter 11

Several moons had passed since Tawnypaw's disappearance. In the gathering held closest to her departure, it had been confirmed that Tawnypaw had indeed, left for ShadowClan.

Currently, Snowpaw was hunting in the damp brush near the owl tree. Brackenfur had been hinting at a possible warrior ceremony soon, so he was naturally doing his best to outshine the other apprentices (This irritated Swiftpaw greatly).

He knew he should feel excited about becoming a warrior; he'd managed to hide his condition and somewhat surpass it. However, he couldn't seem to bring himself to feel the rush he had felt before, when Tawnypaw was at his side.

He couldn't figure out why his heart ached so much. Sure, she was his best friend and meant a lot to him, but this seemed _deeper _than that.

He was anxious to be chosen for the next gathering with the possibility of running into Tawnypaw. Although he doubted Tigerstar would allow her to attend the gathering so soon (It could be dangerous to mix her in with ThunderClan so soon after), he couldn't help but hang on to a tiny sliver of hope. Sometimes, it seemed like it was all that kept him moving.

After successfully capturing a mole, Snowpaw backtracked through the brush and dropped off his kills in the fresh kill pile. Relieved that his duties were finished, Snowpaw found himself drifting over to a private corner to think.

He curled up in a small patch of tall grass and absentmindedly scratched his ear with his left foot. It was annoying how several of the mites always seemed to attack his one functional ear.

'_I wonder how Bluestar's doing…' _He wondered, glancing in the direction of her secluded den. It seemed as if she was always inside her den; she barely even showed up to eat. Snowpaw had no doubt it his mind that if it weren't for Whitestorm, Fireheart, and Cinderpelt, their elderly leader wouldn't still be alive.

'_Bramblepaw hasn't come back yet…' _In order to ease the troubled mind of his apprentice, Fireheart had sent Bramblepaw out hunting just as Brackenfur had done for him.

Despite their earlier issues, Fireheart seemed to be paying closer attention to Bramblepaw's actual feelings nowadays, which caused Snowpaw's spirits to brighten a little. He couldn't help but be disappointed with how much trouble it took to make Fireheart see the truth however.

'_I hope she's okay…' _Once again, he found his thoughts drifting to the headstrong and beautiful tortoiseshell. The familiar ache was rising within his chest again, and he fought vigorously to shove it down. It's not as if he wouldn't see her again…right?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'_I shouldn't be doing this…' _He thought with a sigh, focusing on controlling the soft patter of his footsteps against the leaves. He couldn't have everyone know he was sneaking out of camp after all; he'd be severely punished.

The darkness wafted around him, lulling him deep within it's unreadable secrets. Somehow, the blanket of darkness made everything around seem just a little bit more frightening than in the daytime. Feeling a small twinge of regret for his actions, Snowpaw forced himself to speed up as if trying to escape the feeling.

The thunder path was unusually silent. Perhaps the monsters were asleep? Either way, their stench lingered around the hot, black surface which created the impression of several monsters passing by at the same time.

Softly, Snowpaw sat down next to the Thunderpath, careful to stay inside the ThunderClan border. ShadowClan's scent drifted serenely over the border, as if casually telling any trespassers to leave. Yet, he stayed.

Several times, he caught himself inhaling deeply of the scent, hoping to catch a small trace of her wonderful fragrance. Would she even smell the same now that she was in a different clan?

Did she even miss him nearly as much as he missed her?

The soft patter of footsteps along the ground shook him from his thoughts. Glancing around anxiously to ensure he hadn't been caught sneaking out of camp, Snowpaw found his eyes drifting towards the ShadowClan border once more.

A pair of shocked green eyes were staring back at him from the shadows.

Snowpaw couldn't believe his eyes. He found himself unable to speak, breathe, anything! He couldn't do anything except for stare blankly at the she-cat he'd been missing for so long.

"Snowpaw…" He barely registered her voice. It had been so low, even a cat with normal hearing would have trouble deciphering it; he'd heard it clearly.

"Tawnypaw…"

She seemed embarrassed, like a kit caught peeping through the medicine cat's stock of herbs. She was lean and well kept, looking every bit as alert and fiery as she had before. There was one distinct difference that reminded him of their predicament, however.

Her scent no longer contained the ThunderClan tint the was used to, but the damper scent of ShadowClan.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered, feeling every hair on his body stand on end with nervousness. What if other ShadowClan cats were lurking nearby…?

"Don't worry, everyone's asleep." He sighed, slightly relieved that she'd retained the ability to read him like an easy prophecy. "I needed to stretch my legs that's all."

"So close to the ThunderClan border?" Snowpaw mewed, his eyes narrowing in slight suspicion. Sure, she was supposed to be his friend, but she was an enemy now.

Shaking that thought off, Snowpaw turned his attention towards her once more, noticing that she'd begun talking. "I was taking a walk and happened to walk by here. I figured it would be a nice, quiet spot until the monsters come back in the morning."

He wanted to be near her. The desire was overwhelming, so much he almost threw himself across the thunder path towards her.

Attentively, Tawnypaw trotted across the thunder path to stand beside him.

"What are you doing mouse-brain!? You just crossed territories!" Snowpaw demanded, shocked that she would just casually ignore a clan boundary. It wasn't something she'd normally do.

He was cut off from lecturing her more when he felt her tail slide softly along his flank; his body unconsciously relaxed beneath her gentle touch. "I missed you Snowpaw."

'_I missed you too…' _He wanted to say it, but the words refused to slip past his jaws. Instead, he merely buried his nose within her fur and inhaled her scent deeply, allowing himself to absorb the warmth radiating from her.

For a few moments, neither moved. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but a thoughtful silence. Despite the many times Snowpaw had rehearsed this moment in his head, he found himself drawing a blank when it came to find something to say to her. His fur prickled, hot with embarrassment. She was standing across from him, alive and well, and all he could bring himself to do was scold her!?

"How's your ears?" She asked, nudging the twitching appendage at the top of Snowpaw's head with her nose. Having not expected such, Snowpaw found his body jerking to the right to escape her. "It looks as if it's getting better."

'_Great StarCkan, why can't I say anything?' _

"I-"

"I missed you!" He blurted out suddenly, finally able to tame his rebelling throat. "Why did you leave!? I was so worried!"

She nuzzled him again, unable to look him directly in the eyes. "I'm sorry, I guess it was a bit selfish of me to leave without saying anything…Snowpaw, can we meet here tomorrow?"

The question caught him off guard. His immediate instincts told him to reject her offer, because accepting the offer would mean he was breaking the warrior code. He couldn't help but accept however.

"I have to go now. See you later Snowpaw!" She lept gracefully across the black surface, leaving Snowpaw to stand in a trembling heap on the other side.

AN: Does anyone know when Graystripe comes back? I forgot.^^'


	12. I love you

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Warriors people.

AN: Okay, so the plot's going to be pretty quick from here on out. Mostly because I *REALLY* want to finish this fan fiction. Then I can move on to something else. XD Anyway, that aside, here's the update.

Chapter 12

Snowpaw glanced nervously around the clearing from where he stood beside the fresh kill pile. There wasn't much going on. He'd finished his training for the day, and most cats were settling down for the night.

He couldn't seem to settle his stomach.

He was supposed to meet with Tawnypaw that night. Just _why _had he agreed to meet her? He was breaking the warrior code severely! If Brackenfur ever found out, he'd be in so much trouble…

Or worse.

If his MOTHER found out.

He unconsciously shivered in fear. Sure, he loved his mother. She was great, but she did have quite the temper when provoked. He really didn't want to be on the receiving end of her anger.

As Snowpaw gnawed hungrily on a rodent he'd selected from the pile, he glanced towards the apprentices den where Swiftpaw was sharing tongues with Brightpaw.

Wait a sec…

He did a double take, almost unable to believe his eyes. _Swiftpaw and Brightpaw? _That was different.

"I really don't like him." Snowpaw jumped when Cloudpaw appeared next to him, his eyes narrowing angrily in Swiftpaw's direction. "I really, REALLY, don't like him."

Snowpaw could've rolled his eyes at that comment, but he chose to ignore Cloudpaw's words. After all, it was obvious that Cloudpaw obviously had a crush on Brightpaw. He was merely jealous.

It wasn't that he didn't like Cloudpaw, he really did. He was pretty cool to hang around with. He was just a little too irritable sometimes for his liking.

"You're quiet." Cloudpaw commented, his eyes trailing over Snowpaw's tensed form. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He replied softly. In reality, he really wanted to curl up and sleep for a moon. Maybe then all the stress would melt away, but he COULDN'T. He knew that much.

"If you need to talk or anything…" He glanced warily at Cloudpaw, who was shuffling his paws nervously. "I know I'm not the…well…best friend you've ever had but…"

Purring lightly with amusement, Snowpaw swatted Cloudpaw's ear playfully. "Don't worry about it. Thanks. It's just something I'd rather not share."

Having finished his dinner, he trotted lightly towards the apprentices den. Without so much as a glance towards Swiftpaw and Brightpaw, he slipped in and headed towards his nest. He wanted to catch a quick nap before he was supposed to meet Tawnypaw.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Snowpaw slipped quietly out of camp, every muscle in his body tense and alert. He was relying mostly on his sense of touch; he couldn't afford for his hearing to give out on him at a time like this.

He noticed the fresh scent of a mouse, but chose to ignore it. Even if he was disobeying one rule the least he could do to make up for it was follow the others.

He sighed softly in relief when the thunderpath became visible through the brush. Tawnypaw hadn't arrived yet, so that left him a few minutes to contemplate what to say to her when she showed up.

He wondered if he should tell her they couldn't meet any longer. He was scared; what if they were caught one night? The consequences could be terrible and then he'd feel severely guilty. However, he didn't feel he could shut her out like that. Not when the mere thought of her sent his heart into a fluttering frenzy.

'_Maybe…Cloudpaw isn't the only one with a crush…' _His fur burned with embarrassment. He couldn't believe it. Just when had his feelings for Tawnypaw began to change? They'd always been best friends, but lately his thoughts had been traveling in an entirely different direction.

He couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same way.

"Mouse brain!" He jumped, having not heard her approach. After making a mental note to stay more alert next time, he turned to face her warily.

"Tawnypaw…" He would be lying if he said he didn't feel slightly uncomfortable. After all, hadn't he _just _realized he had a crush on her? Now he was staring her in the eyes, and he found his heart pounding just a sliver faster than normal.

"You okay?" Did he really appear that nervous? Why was everyone asking him that lately?

"Just fine…" He breathed deeply of her scent, wishing it was the same scent he'd known before, yet appreciating the new scent as well. "Actually…There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Hm?" They sat down comfortably in the tall grass nearby, and Snowpaw shivered slightly when Tawnypaw pressed extra close to him. "What is it, Snowpaw?"

"Well…" Was he really going to confess so soon? What if he lost his best friend? She meant more to him than anything…Could he really handle it if he lost her?

Okay, maybe it was more than a crush.

"Snowpaw?" She questioned softly, having obviously caught on to his distress. "What's wrong?"

He loved how she was the gentlest when she was with him or her brother. He loved the way her beautiful green eyes shone in the darkness.

He loved her.

"We've…always been best friends, right?" Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way to start a confession. He just couldn't think of any other way to voice his feelings cleanly.

He made a mental note to never make fun of Cloudpaw ever again.

"Well yeah. Of course we have. That will never change."

"Well, I have to tell you something." His stomach was tumbling so much he thought he was going to retch. He'd never imagined he would be this nervous.

"Snowpaw, I-"

"I LOVE YOU!" He blurted out suddenly, ducking lower within the grass once he'd realized just how loud his voice had been. What if someone heard them?

Tawnypaw didn't share the same concern however. She stared at him with wide eyes, looking every bit as nervous as he felt.

He'd been too busy cowering in his self loathing, that he hadn't noticed when she'd snuck a little closer.

Her voice echoed in his one -good- ear, and he swear his heart almost stopped.

"I love you too."

**AN: Okay, I figured it was about time something romantic happened between these two. The next chapter will probably contain the warrior ceremony.**


	13. Cold Blood

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! Seriously, if I did, the series wouldn't be anywhere near as popular. I would have ruined it with my amateur dreams and writing.

AN: I"M SORRY! God, it's been so long! I had been trying to focus my attention on a yaoi fic that was almost finished, so yeah. This will probably be the next story to end, since there isn't much left. There are like I said before, probably around ten more chapters or so. I have to say that although I am not overly satisfied with this story, it has gone a lot farther than I ever expected it to when I first started. Hopefully I shall continue to write for this category in the future; this section needs a wider variety of fictions using the cannon characters.

Now then, let's continue with the fiction, shall we? Oh, before I forget.

NOTE: I cannot write Warriors ceremonies! So, I will just skip to the aftermath!

Chapter 13: Cold Blood

The newly named Snowfeather sighed and glanced towards his companion, Cloudtail. He was shivering lightly under the cool light of the moon, obviously trying to hide his distress. At this point, it seemed as if every cat in the clan was hiding behind a mask of despair and anguish.

Sure, he was proud that he had been chosen to become a warrior. At the same time however, his heart was heavy with a sense of doom. The warriors ceremony had gone well enough, but that wasn't what concerned him.

They were the only two that Bluestar had named warriors. Fireheart's kin, and then his apprentice.

The thought sent an involuntary shiver down his spine. He couldn't forget the betrayed look in the other apprentice's eyes as they were overlooked and stomped on. It was heart wrenching that Bluestar would simply ignore their accomplishments. At this point, Snowfeather wasn't sure whether he believed in his leader at all anymore.

From the looks the other cats were beginning to send her, he wasn't the only one that felt that way. He didn't know what was going on, but the situation wasn't sitting at all well with his stomach.

He sighed lightly through his nose, catching the attention of his friend. Cloudtail sent him a scrutinizing look, which was a wordless way of asking 'What's wrong?' After all, no cat dared break the silent ritual that was held after a ceremony.

'I'm fine.' He stated back with his eyes, resting his tail gently along Cloudtail's flank to reassure him. It was funny how similar they really were; not necessarily only in appearances, but within their hearts as well. Cloudtail did care a lot about his clan despite his sometimes cold demeanor. Maybe that was why they were beginning to become closer...?

Closer...

The memory of his confession flashed through his mind again. He couldn't wait until the night he could see Tawnypaw again. If he remembered correctly, her ceremony was supposed to be on the same day. Absently, he found himself wondering what her new name would be. He hoped it wasn't something overly pretty; Tawnypaw would slit their throats if they tried to name her something like that.

The thought almost made him snort with laughter, but he forced himself to hold it in. After all, he only had a few hours left of agonizing silence to endure. It would be a shame to come this far only to fail.

The night went by overall as uneventful and by the time dawn's first rays began to stream into the clearing, Snowfeather was ready to drop where he sat. He could easily tell that Cloudtail was having the same issue; his eyes clearly reflected exhaustion and irritation.

Snowfeather's eyes darted towards the warriors den where Fireheart had just slipped out. He moved swiftly towards Bluestar's den, probably to discuss an important issue. To his surprise, Fireheart stopped before entering Bluestar's den and abruptly turned to pad in their direction. By then, most of the clan was filing out of their dens and preparing for their daily duties.

"You are dismissed. You have the day to rest up; you can start your duties tomorrow." Fireheart stated simply, his eyes reflecting just as much distress, if not more, than any other cat. He looked tired and old, despite his young age.

"Thank you." Snowfeather replied, staring disapprovingly after Cloudtail when he rudely left without responding. He was surprised when Fireheart merely ignored his behavior and began organizing the patrols for the day.

"Cloudtail," Snowfeather hissed quietly when he followed his friend to their den, "that was rude!" He glanced around quickly to make sure he didn't accidentally disturb any of the still sleeping warriors and then turned his attention back on the irritated warrior.

"Pft, he let us off. I'm tired and want to sleep. Formalities can wait until after I get a nap in." Cloudtail snorted as he curled up in his nest, burying his nose deeply within his long tail fur.

Feeling his fur bristling with light anger, Snowfeather chose not to respond and curled up in his own nest. After all, he was just as exhausted as the other warrior. They'd been given a day to rest, why not take advantage of it?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

He wasn't sure how long he slept, but it must have been for several hours. He didn't have time to dwell on this however, for he was awakened abruptly by the panicked faces of several clan mates.

"What's going on?!" He asked Sandstorm, the first cat that had been within walking distance. She looked quite distressed.

"It's the apprentices! They ran off on their own to investigate the strange happenings we've seen on our territory!" Sandstorm exclaimed, looking to be on the verge of wailing hysterically. "They were attacked!!!"

Shocked, Snowfeather pushed his way through the large crowd of cats that were gathered in the clearing. Upon further inspection, he could see the injured bodies of Brightpaw and Swiftpaw lying lifelessly on the ground. Cinderpelt had rushed over and began issuing orders, but Cloudtail resisted strongly.

"Is she all right?! I want to see her! BRIGHTPAW!" Cloudtail wailed. Snowfeather sent a sympathetic glance in his direction, for the first time noticing the large puddles of blood that was pooling around the injured cats. Brightpaw had obviously been struck across the face by something large; the enormous slashes across her eye stated this clearly. She would probably never be able to use that eye again.

Swiftpaw looked as if he'd taken most of the hits. He was bleeding from a heavy wound on his left side, and looked as if he was hanging onto life by a mere thread.

Unable to retain his composure any longer, Snowfeather forced himself to turn away from the bloodied bodies. He couldn't even force himself to pay attention when Bluestar and Fireheart announced that no cat was to leave camp alone. He just couldn't keep his mind off other things.

If it were this bad in ThunderClan, was it worse in ShadowClan?

AN: End of chapter. Hope you like. I'll try to finish this story by the end of Christmas break.


	14. Rain

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own the Warriors book series in any way, shape, or form. All those rights belong to the authors under the name of Erin Hunter.

AN: Ok. I'm somewhat racking my brain for what to put in this chapter. The next large even I can't have yet, but I need something to lead up to it. Fanfics are so difficult to write sometimes. . Also, there is no way this is getting done by the end of Christmas Break, but I hope to have it done soon. I have a few Warriors one-shot on my computer to finish, so you'll have to settle for that for a while after this story is finished. ^^ Anyway, sorry for the delay; let's move onto the chapter.

Also Note: I made a huge mistake in the previous chapter. Brambleclaw was supposed to gain his warrior name at the same time and HE'S Fireheart's apprentice. -_- I think I was really sleepy that day or something. Anyway, since I already deleted the document from my account, I can't change it. Just please bear with me as I do my best to correct my amateur mistakes, okay?

"_You ask me if I loved you, if I always will…"-Kenny Chesney_

Chapter 14: Rain

Snowfeather snuggled up closer to the warm bodies of Cloudtail and Brambleclaw next to him. He shivered as some of the cold night air drifted in from outside, only encouraged by the icy rain that pelted the muddy ground. He forced himself to hold down the shivers racking through his body for fear of waking his companions.

It had been at least a moon since the attack on the apprentices. Both were still recovering in Cinderpelt's den where they were thoroughly monitored and assessed. True to his thoughts, it definitely seemed as if Brightpaw would never be able to use that particular eye again. Her once beautiful face was marred on one side with large, deep gashes across her eye to the tips of her muzzle. She would bear the scars for the rest of her life.

Although being just as severely injured, Swiftpaw was recovering at a swifter pace, such as his name suggests. He bore several scars on his flank and neck, but his face had luckily escaped most of the severe hits. He would most likely recover completely; whether his pride recovered as much as his physical injuries, only time would tell.

Cloudtail had been persistent and nagging when it came to his visits to Brightpaw and in the end, Cinderpelt relented and allowed him to visit her. For the first few days, it had been nearly impossible to get him to leave her side, save for his bodies necessities. After a while, it had been Brightpaw herself who had sent him on his way, insisting that sulking around her day and night wasn't good for his health. He'd listened, despite several of his clan mates having told him so before.

Snowfeather found his thoughts drifting to Tawnypaw once more. There was a gathering the next evening and he couldn't help but hope that he would be chosen so he might get a chance to see her. Even if they couldn't slip away long enough to have a private conversation, they could at least find the time to arrange a meeting.

Of course there was the persistent problem of the recent attacks and the new rules. Just how _would _they be able to slip away? Despite not knowing much about Tigerstar, he was sure that as clan leader he wouldn't allow any cats out by themselves with such a dangerous threat looming about, especially his own daughter. His own clan was under the same restrictions, which meant that it would be increasingly difficult to slip away unnoticed.

Snowfeather sighed lightly through his nose as to avoid disturbing his friends and the other warriors. It had become a habit lately, for he had begun to try and hide his insecurities instead of leaving his heart out on his sleeve. The habit hadn't really taken hold until Brambleclaw had voiced his comment the night after he was made a warrior.

"_You've been really sensitive lately. I know you're still upset over Tawnypaw; I am too, but you can't continue sulking like a love struck kittypet."_

He had been so thoroughly irritated with the comment, that he had flat out refused to talk to Brambleclaw the rest of the day until he had apologized. He wasn't exactly sure what had bothered him so much about the comment, though. He knew it wasn't because of the kittypet reference, since he didn't particularly dislike them. In fact, he was beginning to consider that it indeed could have been Tawnypaw's mentioning. Perhaps he was sulking a little too much.

Either way, he might get to see Tawnypaw the next day. The thought was enough to calm him and he fell into an uneasy sleep.

AN: Sorry for the short chapter. I have to get some other things done, so…yeah. XD


	15. Let The Rain Fall

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Warriors in any way, shape or form. I do however; own this story and the idea behind it. Hehehe…

AN: All right, as promised on my profile, here is my update. Here's a major event for you. XD Hope it will be enough to appease for the last chapter, which is extremely short…sorry, I was kind of busy and didn't know what to write. T_T I'm such a terrible authoress. I just wanted to post _something_ because you might think I abandoned it if I didn't.

"_Let the rain fall down…" – Hilary Duff_

Chapter 15: Let the Rain Fall

Snowfeather sneezed lightly, unable to hold back the disturbance any longer. He glanced around warily, praying to StarClan that it hadn't been heard. His paranoia was relaxed when there was no visual movement aside from the steady rain pouring calmly down upon the forest.

He curled up closer to the small enclosure of leaves and twigs he'd hidden underneath as he waited, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of her. His one good ear twitched, but he couldn't hear much of anything except the rainfall; proof that he currently had a cold.

After attending the gathering, he'd been able to arrange a meeting with Tawnypelt, which was Tawnypaw's new name. He'd immediately committed it to memory, so as to avoid a conflict later on by accidentally calling her by her former name.

He was waiting for her somewhere near Fourtrees, which they'd found would most likely be safe enough to hide them from the dangerous threat that had been looming about. As it turned out, Tigerstar had issued a similar warning in ShadowClan as a precaution, but he wasn't anywhere near as worried as the other clans. Personally, Snowfeather couldn't help but find this a little bit suspicious, but wisely held his tongue.

The steady tempo of footsteps echoing through the ground beneath his paws broke him out of his thoughts. He stared straight ahead, readying himself to attack any predator should it be someone other than Tawnypelt.

He relaxed when her familiar tortoiseshell pattern appeared in the entrance to his makeshift den and slipped in, shaking her fur furiously when she was out of the rain. "Great StarClan, we need a break from the ever constant rain!"

He mewed lightly his agreement and shook his fur of the small droplets of water she'd shaken on him by accident. He hated the cold, wet feeling he always got when his coat was soaked; it usually ended up giving him a cold later on. However, since he seemed to already have one, that worry wasn't anywhere near his top priority.

"I'm so glad to see you." Snowfeather mewed happily, licking her fur playfully in greeting. She responded the same why, then reached up and bumped noses with him in a sort of 'feline kiss.'

"It's nice to see you too." She replied, curling up in a random patch of leaves. "Man, I'm seriously sick and tired of this rain! Half my clan has run to Runningnose already with cold symptoms…"

"Mine hasn't been so good either…" He murmured, curling up at her side. "With the new threat looming about the forest, everyone's been on edge. I'm terrified just to go on patrol."

"I know what you mean." Tawnypelt stated, snuggling closer to the warm body of her lover next to her. "I wish we could at least know what we were up against; it would've been nice if those apprentices would have been able to identify what attacked them."

"Yeah, but I doubt Brightpaw will ever see out of that eye again; it looks as if the animal tore it right out of her head." Snowfeather shivered lightly as he pictured her torn face in his mind.

Tawnypelt glanced at him warily, her mind racing. Should she tell him? Sure, it was something pretty important, but he had a lot of worry about right now; she didn't want to make him feel more cornered with her news…

Finally deciding to tell him some other time, Tawnypelt sighed lightly and leaned closer to him, snuggling up to him affectionately. "I love you…you know that, right?"

"I know; I love you too." He replied instantly, a little unnerved by her sudden random acts of affection. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, why?" She asked, her eyes moving to stare up at him once more.

"Well, you seem…different…"

'_He can tell already? Am I really that different?' _

"Don't worry, I'm fine." She assured him, pausing to swat his ear playfully. "Now, don't you have other things to worry about?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tawnypelt sighed as she entered Runningnose's den the next day, feeling her fur flush hot with embarrassment. She knew already, but she had to get it confirmed by the Medicine Cat before she started freaking out.

Runningnose was busying himself with sorting several piles of herbs, which he'd collected earlier that morning. He turned once he heard Tawnypelt enter the den, and mewed a light greeting.

"Good morning, Tawnypelt." He mewed.

"Morning…" She replied, feeling more than just a little awkward. What she wouldn't give to have a she-cat as the Medicine Cat…It would definitely make things a little less awkward.

"What's wrong?" He inquired, immediately picking up on her distress. Tawnypelt glanced around nervously before answering.

"I think I'm pregnant…"

AN: HAHA! WEREN'T EXPECTING THAT, WERE YOU?! X3

Yeah, I've had this planned for a while now. I don't want anyone saying she's too young, since a cat can technically bear kittens for the first time around… I think it was 6 months? Either way, she's not too young.

The big battle is coming up soon, but Tawnypelt will have her kittens before that happens. I don't have to tell you who the father is (if I do, then you're an idiot). I wonder how snowfeather will react. Hehehe…


	16. Feels Like Tonight

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Warriors in any shape or form. To be honest, this is merely to satisfy my amusement and develop my writing skills.

AN: All right, next chapter! ^_^ I hope you all like it! I really wanted to do some writing today, so well…here I am! Lol A little angst in this chapter along with maybe a glimpse into the upcoming conflict! This story's almost done! MWAHAHAHAHA! :3 I can't wait…then I can start all my other ones! I have a beta FireSpotted on my hard drive, but I haven't actually started it yet so…XD Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

"_It feels like tonight, I can't believe I'm broken inside…" –Daughtry_

Chapter 16: Feels Like Tonight

Tawnypelt glanced miserably at the rain pounding heavily outside from her shelter inside the nursery, where she'd been moved a couple moons before. To her, it felt like longer though, because she hadn't been able to see Snowfeather since she'd found out she was to bear kits.

By now, her belly was showing clearly the miracle that it held inside. She was certain that soon she would feel several signs of life, but so far she hadn't felt a thing. She couldn't help but anticipate the moment when she felt a strong kick or even a tiny claw nick the side of her womb; at least she would know that her kits were healthy and strong.

There were a few queens that Tawnypelt didn't particularly like to speak to in the nursery with her as well, but she felt it better to keep her distance. They were much older than her and she didn't really have any reason to speak to them anyway; she wasn't the social type like some other cats.

Sighing heavily, she settled down weakly on her side and stared numbly out at the rain once more. She was absolutely _miserable_. She wanted to see Snowfeather so badly that it _hurt_, but she knew that her father wouldn't let her go anywhere outside the camp for the fear of any action befalling her. It irritated her that he was so overprotective; she could take care of herself! However, she couldn't help but feel slightly relieved at the same time, because it meant that Tigerstar cared about her and respected her, which was more than she could have ever hoped to achieve in ThunderClan.

'_Did I make the right choice when I chose to leave? Because of me, Snowfeather and I can't really be together…' _Despite their relationship, she knew it was only a matter of time before they were found out or something potentially dangerous happened to hurt them both. Love from between clans was strictly forbidden and would probably always be that way; it seemed that every forbidden love between them ended in disaster and anguish for both bearers.

She _didn't _want her love to end in disaster. She wanted to always love Snowfeather and be with him for as long as she lived and even after when she walked the stars with StarClan. However, she knew it would never be permitted now that she had made her choice and switched sides, unknowingly sealing their fate from the start. Despite being somewhat aware of her feelings before she'd left, she had convinced herself that it was nothing to get worked up over; he wouldn't feel the same way after all.

She was proven wrong however and now she was starting to regret her decision. Sure, she loved all the love and respect she received in her clan, but she couldn't help but wonder if all of that was truly worth it when it left her lover pining over her in the land she left behind. Now especially that she was bearing kits, their secret was in severe danger of being exposed. Sure, she didn't have to reveal who the father was, but surely she would get caught sneaking out of camp one day or she would call his name in her sleep, or _something_! She didn't know what it was going to be, but she had a bad feeling about their current predicament.

She shifted gently to a more comfortable position and glanced sadly at the other queens, who were merrily chatting toward the back of the cave, where it was warmer and more sheltered from the rain. They would never know what it was like to yearn for their lovers like this----they all were completely loyal to the warrior code after all; their mates were of the same clan and were in no danger of discrimination.

Tawnypelt couldn't help but worry about her kits and their future as well as her current predicament. When the clans found out, would they be able to handle the consequences of their parent's actions? Would they hate them for being so undeniably selfish and denying them the comfort and safety of a normal warrior life? Would they admire them for being so incredibly determined to stay together, despite what the other cats would say?

Or worse, would they even be permitted to _live_?

'_NO!' _She shook her head harshly to clear them of those thoughts, refusing to believe that Tigerstar would have his own grandchildren murdered merely because of who their father was. It felt strangely wrong to believe in her father, but she didn't want to think that perhaps she was wrong and he _would _kill them.

Unable to endure her thoughts any longer, Tawnypelt decided to skip her nightly fresh kill and curled up into an uneasy sleep.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_She couldn't figure out what was going on. It felt as if she was disoriented---perhaps she was dizzy from the loss of blood or she hadn't eaten for a long time. Either way, she found that she was beginning to panic when she couldn't make any sense out of the situation before her._

_Her paws reeked with the scent of blood and death, no doubt carried on by the scene before her. The clearing was ablaze with fighting cats; fierce shrieks of fury and killer intent echoed in the small space they shared._

_There was blood __**everywhere**__, which was no doubt the scars of the fallen whose bodies were littered in all directions, left to die where they'd fallen. It was a stomach churning sight, watching cats she knew from all clans breathing their last breaths. _

_Pushing her way through the bodies that littered the ground, Tawnypelt scanned them warily, searching for any trace of any of her close friends. At first, she hadn't seen him._

_It wasn't until she tripped upon his obviously broken tail that she recognized the dying body of the cat before her. _

"_**NOOOO! Snowfeather!"**_

AN: End of that chapter. MWAHAHAHAHA! I'm so evil!


	17. Sunrise

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! This fanfiction is exactly what it implies in the name: A fanmade piece of writing! So no suing!

AN: I'm not going to lie, this is a filler chapter. XD A Swiftpaw x Brightpaw filler chapter. The main reason for this is because my ex-boyfriend does not have the last book in the first Warriors series. Now, I have to see if I can convince my Dad to drive me out to the library and see if they have it. I need it in order to make everything work…Darn it…Any way, please enjoy the filler.

"_I thought I saw you yesterday..." –Angel City_

Chapter 17: Sunrise

The silence echoed in her ears, inwardly causing her to wince, as if in pain. By all means, she was, but this was not the supposed cause.

The entire side of her face had been mercilessly mauled by her attackers, meaning that while one eye was perfectly usable, she was completely blind on the other side. She hated that fact. She wasn't even a Warrior yet, and now she bore heavy battle scars that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

'_Why did I follow him? I knew something bad would happen…but…' _In truth, she had protested heavily against Swiftpaw's plan to win over Bluestar's attention. It went against the rules AND endangered their lives. He was just so desperate to prove himself…to show that he wasn't worthless…that she couldn't help but give in to his pleas and followed him into the night.

She was still debating whether or not that was the biggest mistake of her life.

'_Most of his major wounds…he got because he was trying to protect me…' _she thought guiltily, glancing silently in the direction of the black and white body in the nest not far from hers. His breaths were shaky and uneven, proof that he was still in pain, although he was indeed healing much faster than her.

She had felt completely useless while he'd defended her, watching as large paws rained down upon his fragile body as if he wasn't attacking them at all. In the end, she'd been so moved by his courage that she'd jumped in the fray herself, which ended in the loss of her other eye. They'd eventually stumbled back to camp after their attackers left them for dead, but had collapsed upon entering their home.

"Swiftpaw…" His name fell quietly from her lips as she found her eye absently drifting in his general direction once more. She couldn't help but wonder if he was still warm from fever; she wanted to check on him.

Dragging her body heavily from her bed, she slowly made her way over to his side. His eyes were scrunched up in pain, no doubt dreaming of something particularly unpleasant. As quietly as she could, Brightpaw pressed her paw gently to his forehead and let out a silent sigh of relief—his fever was going down.

Reassured that he wasn't going to suddenly die on her, she was about to turn to go back to her bed and attempt to fall asleep once more, when her eyes caught the nasty wounds on his side. She flinched, unable to look away from the deep gashes that punctured the once flawless skin and fur. The skin was slowly melding itself together, meaning that he would only have scars to tell the story soon. However, that didn't mean any emotional scars left behind would heal just as well.

What would become of them? Would she even be allowed to become a warrior even with her disabilities? Would Swiftpaw ever truly be accepted by their leader? Would they even make through this crisis alive? Would ANY of them?

"Brightpaw?" His voice, groggy from sleep had barely registered in her ears. She glanced down in shock to see that he'd indeed awoken, and his dark eyes were staring up at her in confusion. "What is it?"

"Sorry…I couldn't sleep." She answered a bit shakily, allowing her body to sink down to the ground. She sighed softly in relief once the pressure was no longer pressing onto her other wounds and started when Swiftpaw moved heavily to his side, probably to make it easier to speak with her.

"So you decided that staring at me would make a good past time?" To any other cat, he'd sounded as if he had snapped at her. To Brightpaw though, she knew that he was teasing and indirectly asking her a question: _Why were you staring at me?_

"Well…I came over to check to see if your fever was gone yet…and yes, I ended up staring…" Her eye glanced down toward her paws in embarrassment, unable to meet his scrutinizing gaze.

"I feel a lot better than I did earlier…I must have slept it off." Swiftpaw replied thoughtfully, lifting his paw to gently scratch his ear before pulling himself to his feet.

"Oh no, you really shouldn't be moving!" She exclaimed as quietly as possible, so as to not wake Cinderpelt, who was sleeping in the back of the den.

"Shut up mouse brain, I'm fine!" He hissed quietly, walking shakily forward until he could lower his body down beside her, leaning heavily against her shoulder. "That's…much better."

"Huh?" She would be lying if she said she wasn't even the slightest bit shaken up by this sudden display of affection, but ignored the uneasiness flipping around inside her stomach and instead settled for questioning him about his actions. "What do you mean?"

"You're warm. I was cold." He stated simply, as if he didn't care either way. Yet, Brightpaw could see right through his facade. His wounds had caused several patches of fur less spots on his side and back, which meant that he was more vulnerable to cold.

"If you say so…"

"So…what's bothering you?" He asked bluntly, opening his eyes once more to stare into her one good eye. She started, having not expected such a question.

"I have no idea what-"

"Cut the act." He softly hissed once more, lightly cuffing her over the ear so as not to disturb her wounds. "You sleep like a log. If you're not sleeping, then obviously something is bothering you. I'm not stupid, you know?"

"I…I didn't say you were…" She answered shakily, feeling more than a little embarrassed at being caught in a lie. "I just…wasn't sure if we should discuss it or not…"

"Try me." He mewed automatically, cutting off whatever else she was going to say. "Or would you rather discuss it with Cloudtail?"

"No!" She mewed quickly, hastily lowering her voice so she didn't wake the Medicine Cat. "Uh…no, actually, I think I will tell you…"

Swiftpaw looked a little surprised for a moment before quickly covering it up with an expression of indifference. Honestly, sometimes she felt he was too much like his mentor for his own good.

"I was…I feel guilty…" She admitted, once more unable to look him in the eye. "You wouldn't have such harsh injuries if I hadn't come with you…if you hadn't been forced to protect me, you might not have those wounds-"

"Idiot!" She stopped abruptly, startled by his sudden exclamation. "You're talking as if I forced myself to protect you against my will! I did it because I _wanted _to protect you! I knew the consequences of my actions and accepted them before I made my move; I knew I was going to get hurt badly, but that didn't matter to me. Honestly, think a little before making assumptions!"

Her fur burned with embarrassment and that nervous feeling again, but she chose to ignore it. "But if I hadn't been so incapable then you wouldn't have had to protect me in the first place-"

"Mouse brain!" She winced when he whacked her lightly upside the head with his paw, his eyes narrowed sharply as he glared at her. "It's not your fault for the last time! How much more clear can I make that?!"

She sighed heavily, unable to do much more than give in to his logic. He was older than her after all, and he possessed the sharp tongue of his mentor Longtail as well. Arguing against him was completely useless.

"Do you think…she'll ever acknowledge us?" Brightpaw asked softly, unable to resist the question that had been plaguing her mind for a while.

"Honestly, no. She's completely losing her mind. When one loses trust, they lose much more than that. I doubt Bluestar will acknowledge us until the very end." He stated truthfully, sounding more than a little annoyed by this. Brightpaw wished greatly that she could object, but knew his words to be the truth.

"Just don't…don't worry so much, okay?" He stated after a moment's hesitation, his voice clearly showing that he was falling asleep once more.

"Okay…" She couldn't help but feel a little better. Even if they weren't ever acknowledged by their leader, they were known by each other. That would have to be enough for now.

Feeling reassured, Brightpaw finally fell into an easy sleep.

AN: It's longer than usual. O.O Don't know how that happened, but I'm glad it did.


	18. It's the Fear

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Warriors Books or anything associated with them. I am merely a dedicated fan that is expression my love for this fantastic series with a fan work created with my own imagination.**

**All right, so if you didn't read my profile, here's the news…I couldn't get the information that I wanted. So, I'm just going to change things around a little bit. Just so we have things straight: I've decided not to include Blood Clan in this story. Therefore, this will end in a few chapters when I include the dog pack. I will make this a bigger battle, which will include more of the clan; to make it fit my story more. I wanted to use Blood Clan for this…but decided that I could work better with the dog pack. I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone! Anyway, on with the story! Remember to NOT SKIP OVER THIS CHAPTER, as it is very important! :D **

_ "It's the fear…"-Within Temptation_

Chapter 18: It's the Fear

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The rain pelted heavily against the roof of the den, creating a somewhat soothing rhythm against the stone and dirt. This did nothing to calm the inhabitants inside however, which were rushing about in a panic. In the midst of all the chaos, Tawnypelt was lying in her nest, gasping and heaving heavily for breath. Harsh spasms swept through her body, effectively knocking the breath out of her weakening lungs again and again. She gasped and struggled to take a shaky breath, only to feel another strong wave of pain overwhelm her once more.

A few moons had passed and still Tawnypelt had not seen Snowfeather. She was feeling even more miserable than ever and the near constant rain had been of no help to her wavering emotional stability. She'd been doing her best to catch a few hours of sleep, when she'd suddenly been awakened as a small, painful spasm swept through her body.

She was in labor. Snowfeather didn't even know that she was pregnant in the first place, but she was giving birth to his kits.

The other queens had immediately noticed her distress and piled around her, offering words of comfort and advice, despite the cold shoulder that Tawnypelt had usually given them. The oldest queen had ventured out into the cold to call upon the medicine cat, knowing that since it was Tawnypelt's first time kitting, there were bound to be slight difficulties.

Suddenly, Runningnose swept through the den entrance, several herbs dangling from his mouth. The older queen dashed in behind him, stopping for a moment to shake the stray raindrops from her fur before following the wise black and white cat toward Tawnypelt's shaking body.

"Breathe deeply Tawnypelt. Everything's going to be all right." He assured, settling down beside her. The other queens backed off to the side in order to give them as much room as possible, which Runningnose acknowledged with a thankful nod.

"But…it h-hurts…" Tawnypelt yowled helplessly as another spasm hit her with the strength of a full grown muscled tom cat and gasped for air once more, shuddering when a sick feeling settled within her stomach.

"I know it does, but you need to relax if we're ever going to deliver your kits safely." Runningnose pointed out, digging through his pile of herbs for a moment before turning back to her and pushing some sort of herb underneath her nose. "Eat this; it should give you more strength. Now Tawnypelt, I need you to-"

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Snowfeather knew that something was wrong the second that he opened his tired eyes.

For one thing, his head ached formidably. The pounding was so harsh that he almost doubled over in pain instantly, absently wondering why he hadn't woken up merely from the pain, rather than a different disturbance. Perhaps he was getting a fever…?

The second thing he realized was that the den was completely silent. He blinked in confusion, a sense of forbidding settling into his stomach. This wasn't _right_. Not at all. The warrior's den was _never _quiet. Whether it was the gentle whistle of the steady breaths of his clan mates, or the crunchy rustle as the bodies of the other cats shifted around in their chosen sleeping places, there was always some sort of sound. Being that there was _no sound whatsoever, _Snowfeather immediately pulled his tired body to its paws, glancing around at his clan mates in a somewhat panicked state.

Everyone was sleeping peacefully like they normally did.

Puzzled and frightened by this realization, Snowfeather took a shaky breath and did his best to calm his pounding heart. He would have succeeded, until he noticed one major clue.

He hadn't heard his own raspy breathing.

Panicking, he attempted to concentrate on the hum of the rain that he could clearly see outside, only to be disappointed when silence echoed in his head.

Pure, harsh silence.

Gulping, Snowfeather raked his claws along the floor of the den harshly, not caring if he disturbed any of his clan mates because he _couldn't hear it _in the first place.

He was completely deaf.

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The den was silent, save for the sounds of gentle suckling and a few muffled mews. Tawnypelt sighed lightly, her body heaving with exhaustion. Just to take each breath felt as if she was using more energy than she had. It was painful and she hated it, but she couldn't help but feel that it was worth it in the end.

Her two sons suckled hungrily, mewling lightly in contentment. The oldest one was a near solid midnight black with a small splotch of white across his face and chest while his young brother was a rare tortoiseshell color. This was rare, because the tortoiseshell color usually was only present in females and any males born with these markings usually tended to be sterile. Tawnypelt had only heard of one surviving cat of this type in her lifetime. While she was in Thunderclan, she'd heard many stories about the beautiful splotched coat of Redtail, who'd once been the deputy and had died on the job. No cat had ever told her how he'd died, but she could only assume that he'd died in battle.

Tawnypelt sighed once more, her mind working through possible names for the newborns. She wished that Snowfeather could be there to help her, but knew this to be impossible.

To her dismay, she was unable to come up with anything. She knew that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, since most queens did tend to wait a few days to name their kits until their real personalities shown through and they could name their kits properly, but Tawnypelt could not help but want to call them by name right away. It just felt so wrong calling them just 'her kits'.

Knowing that her efforts were temporarily in vain, Tawnypelt sighed heavily once more and finally allowed herself to give into the temptation of her well deserved slumber. Despite her tiredness however, she couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong…

Nevertheless, she was soon sleeping deeply despite the racket of her suckling kits.

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**Okay, I know some of you were probably expecting to see the kits she was given in the series. However, since I've never met those kits, I've decided not to include them and created my own. These two kits here are actually based off of two kits that were born to a cat in one of my favorite books that I read growing up. I don't remember what it was called, as I lost the book, but I was always so moved when the mother cat gave birth to two kittens that almost fit these descriptions…and they both died in a wildfire. They were my favorite of her litters, and I've always felt that they deserved a chance. So, I decided at the last minute to incorporate them into my story. I did change the tortoiseshell's gender though (in the book, it was a female). I wanted things to be a little more special while not being completely unrealistic. So, I give the author of that book credit for that idea. I am in no way stealing her work. Perhaps one day, I will find that book. If any of you recognize it, PLEASE let me know. Thank you!**

**Don't forget to drop a review before you leave!**


	19. Broken

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! This story is something that I made up on my own while I was trying to think up some kind of story!

**AN: Okay…chapter 19. Well, I can't particularly say that I'm happy with how this story is turning out…but there are always more stories! =D I have plenty in my head…but I will probably focus on my anime ones for a while before I post another Warriors story. I can't believe how much everyone likes this story. XD I personally hate it…but oh well. Anyway, this story's almost finished. So let's get on with chapter 19, shall we?**

"_I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing…" – Lifehouse_

**Chapter 19: Broken**

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Pain echoed in his head like a raging wildfire. He couldn't stop it, nor could he communicate his distress directly to the cats standing in front of him. Despair raged through every cell in his body, forcing a once proud head to turn toward the ground and stay there. He couldn't bring up the courage to stare them directly in the eye. He felt like a kit that had been caught in a serious lie.

'_I can't believe that this is happening to me…' _He choked back a wail of anguish, feeling every hope he'd ever had for his life as a clan cat slipping out from beneath his shaking paws. He'd tried so hard to hide it from everyone…but now; his deepest darkest secret was exposed.

To the whole _clan_.

He wanted nothing more than to simply fade from existence, as if he'd never been there in the first place. He couldn't help but wonder just _why _he'd survived this far. What if Tawnypelt had never saved him back then and he'd been eaten? Torn apart even? Would that be better than this?

'_No…I have to be alive for a reason…don't I?' _Despite his efforts, this thought only seemed to make him sink even deeper into misery. He could see Fireheart and Cinderpelt chatting nearby. Even though he couldn't directly hear what they were saying, he figured that he already had a good idea of what was running back and forth between them.

'_I can't be a warrior anymore…they're going to make me live in the elder's den, if they let me stay at all.' _Snowfeather concluded, sinking down to the ground and burying his head deeply within his thin strands of white fur. Anything was better than this. His mother was going to be so angry…

After a few moments of this, Snowfeather felt the vibration of footfalls underneath his feet and quirked up immediately, knowing that it would be the other cats returning with their decision. He stared up at Fireheart with hopelessness, as he seemed to tower above him, his green eyes shining with something that he couldn't identify.

Having expected to be thrown out immediately, Snowfeather was pleasantly surprised when Fireheart sent him a warm glance. From her spot next to him, Cinderpelt sent him a knowing look, intertwining her tail with his lightly.

After a moment, Fireheart pointed his tail in the direction of the elder's den, blinking with remorse and understanding. Snowfeather bowed his head sadly and trudged toward the den, already noticing his clan mate's stares as he passed by.

'_This can't be happening…'_

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'_They're so beautiful…' _ Tawnypelt stared fondly down at her kits, which were now about a week old. Their eyes had opened the night before, showing the beautiful blue irises that were characteristic of newborn kittens. She couldn't help but wonder what color their eyes would be when they outgrew this stage in a week or two. Would they have blue eyes permanently like their father or green eyes like her? She was so nervous that she couldn't think straight.

She'd finally named them the night before, having finally decided upon the two names that suited them best. She chose Fernkit for the tortoiseshell, since he loved to paw lightly at the material that lined their nest. She would often turn around for merely a few seconds, only to find him playing clumsily with the nest. He couldn't really see yet, but he certainly recognized the scent and feel of his favorite toy.

For his brother, she'd decided on Patchkit. She couldn't help but be reminded of Patchpelt whenever she saw him, so, she'd named Patchkit after the elderly ThunderClan cat.

Giving their squealing bodies a gentle lick to soothe them, Tawnypelt felt her eyes staring off into the distance, a sense of forbidding settling over her features. She couldn't stop the shiver that racked through her body, leaving her with a cold, empty feeling in her stomach and chest.

Something bad was going to happen, if it hadn't happened already. She knew this; yet, she couldn't fathom just what was causing her react this way. Never in her life had she felt such a strong sense of solid _despair _ease up from her soul. It was so powerful, that she wanted to cry up to the heavens and _beg _StarClan for the answer to her pain.

'_Snowfeather…' _Her heart ached. She yearned to see her lover so badly that it _hurt_. She was sick of being forced to hide from him. She wanted to feel his warm body next to hers so he could comfort her with his mere presence. She wanted to hear his words of love that he tenderly mewed in her ears…feel that rumbling purr that he let lose whenever she said, 'I love you.'

Nothing that she did ever seemed to take away this pain. It was a never-ending cycle. She'd feel better for a while, but then something or someone would suddenly remind her of Snowfeather and the process would repeat itself all over again. She hated it. Nothing had ever rendered her this weak.

She also missed her brother terribly. She was positive that this whole experience would have been a little easier with the warmth of her ever-faithful brother beside her. But she'd abandoned him. No—_both _Brambleclaw and Snowfeather. She'd let go the two most important cats in her life…the two that she loved more than anything.

All for _what_?! This terrible burden of loneliness that dripped from every ounce of her soul?! For a father that she didn't even fully _trust_?! Had she really given everything up for _this_?!

She wanted to go back, but she couldn't. Tawnypelt knew that her home was now with ShadowClan, and she wouldn't be accepted back in ThunderClan anyway. This was where she belonged. Her own selfish decision had brought her here and now, she would be forced to deal with the consequences of her thoughtless actions.

'_I just need to see him…I want to show him his two handsome sons…I want to tell him how much I love him…' _Her head sank down to her paws as her heart sank down even lower in her chest. Patchkit and Fernkit began mewling in distress at her side, having sensed her raging emotions. Alarmed that she'd allowed such a state to befall her kits, Tawnypelt hurriedly nuzzled them affectionately until they calmed and settled into a light slumber.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest when a realization struck her. _'It's not about us anymore…'_

'_What about our __**kits**__?'_

**AN: Well, the end of another angst filled chapter. XD Just in case some of you are confused, I did do a time skip in this chapter. The next chapter will contain Snowfeather's side of the time skip, as well as the beginning of the end…Hehehe….**

**Review please! :D it makes the world go round! Well…my world anyway…**


	20. Diary of Tawnypelt

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. I am merely expressing my love for this ever-popular book series in the form of fanfiction.

**AN: All right! Another update! I'm on a roll here! =D Well, spring break just started, so I decided to update again for no reason! Well…I do sort of have a reason…as in; I want this story to be over! I have other fanfics that I want to focus on, and this one is taking up too much time. Also, I hate how this story turned out. I made so many mistakes with it…but I hope to get the hang of it in later Warriors fanfics. I honestly haven't read the series in a long while so…One day; I WILL own all of the books! Then my fanfics WILL have better storylines and characters. Oh well, until then. Enjoy this fanfic!**

"_Something's getting in the way. Something's just about to break." – Breaking Benjamin_

Chapter 20: Diary of Tawnypelt

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It felt as if he was dying inside. Every cell is his body burned with an intense longing and desperation. Every breath he took, he wanted to be his last. He wanted to die.

He wouldn't be able to see her again. Every day that he spent away from her, he felt even more lost than he had before. He tried to stop it, but he just _couldn't_. He couldn't even begin to fathom as to why he was still _breathing_. He just wanted to join StarClan, so he could wait for her to join him in peace, safe from the stares and whispers of his clan mates.

He was unable to hear them, but that didn't mean they weren't talking. He knew that they were. He could see them all turn their heads whenever he walked by, turning to talk hesitantly to their friends or mates. Snowfeather did his best to look as if he didn't notice and tried to go about his daily activities as the rest of them did.

However, it was clear that this couldn't go on much longer. There was a lot going on lately, and Snowfeather didn't even get the gist of it. Why? Because he couldn't _hear it_. The clan was panicked, and he didn't know why. He knew that there had been a gathering the night before and that it must have not gone well, due to the frantic postures of the cats when they returned. He hated being left in the dark, but he knew that there was nothing that he could possibly do about it.

All of it would be a little better if he could just see Tawnypelt. Even if it were just a fleeting _glimpse _of her beautiful mottled pelt through the trees or bushes, it would be enough to sustain his life. He'd never needed anyone or _anything _the way he needed her. She was his mate, the one that he loved more than his own life. They were finally together, only to be torn apart. It had been _several moons _since he'd last seen her. He wanted to be next to her, to nuzzle her soft fur and tell her that he loved her over and over again until he suffocated. Even that wouldn't be enough to stifle the desire to be with her.

'_How can something so right…be so wrong?' _He wondered sadly as he sank to his haunches inside the elders den, staring out at the rain that pelted the ground. The elders were asleep behind him, having fallen asleep after eating herbs to help their sore joints that were no doubt resulting from the weather that had been upon them constantly. The rain wasn't good for the elderly, that's for sure.

According to the warrior code, cats were not allowed to mate with different clan cats. Snowfeather had always followed the code obediently, until he realized that he loved Tawnypelt. Sure, it could be argued that she _was _once a ThunderClan cat, but that still didn't change the fact that she now belonged to ShadowClan. Nothing that he did could ever change that, no matter how much he wanted to. Either way, their love was forbidden and would get them both severely punished if they were ever found out.

He couldn't help but wonder how Tawnypelt was doing. Was she missing him as much as he missed her? Did the latest panic among the clans affect her too? Was she frightened? Did she need him?

With every question that ran through his head, he could have sworn that he fell even deeper within himself. He ignored everything around him and just concentrated on his favorite memory of her scent. That heavenly fragrance that enchanted him so deeply…how he longed for it. Even when it was tinted with the somewhat dark scent of ShadowClan, it still held that characteristic that screamed her name. It was her and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Suddenly, his nose twitched as he detected fear scent close by. Startled, Snowfeather narrowed his eyes and spotted the disturbance: several members of his clan were pouring out of their dens, mostly warriors, and met at the camp entrance. Fireheart was in the lead and even from this distance, Snowfeather could feel the nervousness and fear radiating off of the other cat.

Although this all looked pretty suspicious to Snowfeather, he was pretty sure that the rest of the clan knew about it. After all, it would be hard to sneak out of camp in mass numbers during the day, whether obscured by the rain or not. It just wasn't something that was attempted.

Either way, Snowfeather couldn't figure out just _why _they were creeping out of camp. At least half of their clan was with the group, each looking more anxious than the last. Snowfeather crouched lowly to the ground, fighting the twitching in his paws that told him that he yearned to fight alongside his clan. He didn't know where they were going, or what they were doing, but he had a bad feeling that a fight would ensue. His gut feelings weren't usually wrong, so he saw no reason that they would give him a false alarm now.

He watched the tail of the last cat slip out of the camp before slinking slowly out of the elder's den and disappearing into the ferns, careful to avoid alerting any of his remaining clan mates as he snuck quietly after the group of cats.

He always did like to attempt the near impossible.

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"Tawnypelt, for the love of StarClan, will you _please _settle down?! You're upsetting your kits!" The eldest queen mewed irritably, her eyes trailing after the shaking body of Tawnypelt.

The tortoiseshell paid no heed to her companion's warning and instead opted to continue her nervous pacing, scraping her claws along the ground harshly in frustration. Nearby, her two kits mewled insistently, most likely having sensed their mother's distress. The queen that was nursing them prodded them with her nose, trying to get them to nurse once more, but they would have none of it. They wanted their mother _now._

Unfortunately, Tawnypelt's milk supply had dried up too much for her to continue nursing. Runningnose had assured her that this did happen sometimes and as long as there was another queen to nurse her kits, they should survive without much trouble.

What he hadn't told her was that her condition was most likely due to stress, which was proved correctly by the current happening. Tawnypelt had been calmly speaking to one of the other queens when she'd suddenly been hit with a strong feeling that left her gasping for breath and panicking.

Fear; intense fear and worry. They poured through her veins, fueling her distress like the wind fanned an open fire. It was so strong, that it nearly swept her off her feet the first time she felt it. She'd tried to ignore it, but it tugged insistently at her chest.

"Tawnypelt, would you please tell me what's wrong?" One of the other queens tried once more, only to be coldly brushed off by the somewhat temperamental tortoiseshell.

"Something's wrong. I can feel it. I don't know what it is, but I'm afraid. Something really bad is about to happen." Tawnypelt stated, not halting for an instant in her pacing. She needed to satisfy the need to be in motion, which was pulling at her paws persistently. Whatever this was, it was _bad_. She'd never felt something so full of dark premonition in her life!

"What's going on?" Runningnose poked his head in the den, eyes widening when he noticed Tawnypelt's frantic state. "Tawnypelt?"

"Where's my father?" She asked suddenly, stopping to glance at the medicine cat. Runningnose stared at her with confusion for a few moments before answering.

"He's out on patrol-"

"In _this _weather?!" Tawnypelt snapped instantly, her fur bristling on edge. Was he stupid?! He was the _leader _of their clan and even though he claimed to be some unstoppable force, he was still quite vulnerable to natural sicknesses! Going out in this weather was flat out stupid!

"I tried to warn him against it, but he insisted…."

"Something's wrong…and I know that he's involved! We have to find him, now!" She whipped around to glare at Runningnose once more. "Get me an escort, please."

"But, your kits-"

"ESCORT, please!" She snapped once more, running over to nudge her kits gently toward the other queen's stomach to nurse before turning back toward him. "They're being well taken care of; I have nothing to worry about."

The queen's eyes shone with happiness at the praise, but she refrained from commenting. Runningnose sighed softly and nodded, backing out of the den.

Tawnypelt mentally steeled herself for the chaos that was sure to come, before following after him.

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**AN: Well, like I said, the beginning of the end starts here. The action starts next chapter…and then…well, only my friend Kalo knows what I have planned for the end…and she yelled at me for it. XD She did say that it made sense though, when I explained the meaning to her. I would just like to say beforehand that it is a highly plausible ending, due to Snowfeather's circumstances. Well, I'm going to shut up before I give away too much. Lol Anyway, hope you enjoyed this longer chapter! Don't forget to leave a review before you click off the page!**


	21. From Yesterday

**Disclaimer: I do not own the book series entitled 'Warriors'. All rights to this magnificent series belong to the authors under the combined name of 'Erin Hunter'. I am merely borrowing her characters to fulfill my own ideas in a safe and legal manner.**

**Well…I'm updating again. We finally found out what's wrong with my computer. Apparently, the sound card on my motherboard went out. Which means that we have to buy a new one to attach to my computer. We're looking into some…and we might be able to get one soon. Hopefully…cause I'm dying without my music. I need my AMVs. I need my ANIME. Seriously. I am so sick of the radio! GRRRR! **

**Anyway, enough ranting. I would just like to inform you that I really suck at writing fighting scenes, so this may bore you. I will attempt to make this plausible however.**

"_But it's hard to admit, How it ends and begins, On his face is a map of the world…" – 30 Seconds to Mars_

Chapter 21: From Yesterday

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Snowfeather crept quietly across the dirt and grass, his body crouched close to the ground to avoid being seen or heard. His footfalls, although he couldn't hear them, were very even and soft, proof of his skillful mastering. Having been half deaf for his whole life, Snowfeather was more than ready to deal with the consequences of becoming fully deaf.

His clan had stopped in a large patch of grass and brambles up ahead and was chatting amongst themselves. Fireheart suddenly began directing them all in different directions, choosing to hide in a nearby grass patch himself.

Snowfeather watched with growing curiosity. Fireheart's fur stood on end and his fear scent wafted in unconcealed waves toward Snowfeather's hidden form. Whatever it was they were doing, it was obviously very dangerous, as Fireheart was terrified for his life.

Suddenly, he felt several harsh vibrations rush through his paws, effectively startling him. Fireheart apparently felt them too, for he immediately tensed and began looking around frantically.

It took about a minute for something to happen, but when it did, Snowfeather began to wish that he'd stayed behind instead of following his clan mates.

Abruptly, three large snarling dogs ran out of the bushes, lunging straight for the patch of grass that Fireheart was hiding in. The flaming orange tom cat lept out of the way of the slobbering beasts and moved to run in the opposite direction toward the cliffs, until his green eyes widened when he noticed a limp form hanging from the jaws of the black creature.

'_Is that…Rainwhisker?!' _Snowfeather didn't know the other tom very personally, but he knew enough to respect his fellow clan member. He seemed to be a quiet, mysterious, and easygoing cat that preferred to be left alone rather than be the center of attention, the complete opposite of Fireheart's headstrong nephew Cloudtail.

Thinking back to earlier, Snowfeather realized that Rainwhisker had indeed been one of the cats that left with Fireheart. After quickly assessing the situation, he concluded that Fireheart's original intention had been to lead the dogs away from the camp and send them off the cliff to their deaths, but now that one of them had been captured, the tables had turned.

He began to absently quake in fear when Fireheart hissed in rage and lept onto the face of the large dog, clawing at its eyes and nose until it reluctantly released the injured cat. Fireheart moved to escape, but was immediately overwhelmed when the other two attacked him.

Rainwhisker still lay limp among the fight, now forgotten by the slobbering beasts that continued tearing at their intended target. Finally, Fireheart broke away from the creature's clutches and dashed along the path, the dogs immediately following.

Almost instantly, Snowfeather bounded carefully out to Rainwhisker's side, nudging him briefly in an attempt to wake him. After a few more tries, he coughed and opened his eyes weakly.

"I'm…glad that you're awake. You need to get back to camp." Snowfeather mewed as well as he could, his speech coming out slurred due to his inability to hear what exactly he was saying. Rainwhisker nodded briefly, pulling his injured body to his feet so that he could limp back to camp. Normally Snowfeather would have opted to help the older warrior, but he chose to follow the scent of the others instead.

Every muscle in his body was tensed as he made his way toward the cliffs, where he knew Fireheart was headed. For all he knew, the older warrior could have made it there by now and accomplished his mission, but he couldn't help but want to satisfy his curiosity.

He had a bad feeling, though. His hairs stood on end as he felt an ominous feeling creep up his spine. From experience, he knew that this meant that he was probably being watched. Deciding to ignore this feeling for the time being and continue along his intended path, Snowfeather raised his nose into the air and continued following Fireheart's scent through the reek of the black dogs, despite the weather hindering his progress.

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"Tawnypelt, do you have any idea what you're doing?!" The she-cat assigned to follow her frantically mewed, although already knowing that the determined tortoiseshell wouldn't heed her words. "That is ThunderClan territory! Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"My father's scent is crossing into ThunderClan territory." Tawnypelt growled, a sense of forbidding and understanding flowing through her paws. "I knew something was wrong…My father's up to something bad, I can feel it in my paws."

"Will you just listen to me?! Even if your suspicions are true, something could still happen to us if we cross over into their territory! Just because you were once one of them does not guarantee your safety as many of them are sure to be bitter about your 'betrayal'." The gray cat pointed out, desperately trying to get the other cat to change her mind. "What if something happens to you? What will your kits do then?"

Tawnypelt halted for a few seconds, but quickly resumed her task. She dashed across the thunderpath, only stopping once she reached the other side. "They will be well taken care of. Even if something happens to me, I have to stop my father. If you don't want to help me, then leave."

Having half expected the other cat to volunteer to help her anyway, Tawnypelt was indeed surprised when she turned around and dashed back into their territory, fear scent still drifting from the spot that she'd stood a few moments before.

"I don't believe this…what a pathetic coward!" Tawnypelt snarled, shaking her fur of the excess droplets of water that clung stubbornly to it. By then, the rain had reduced to a steady drizzle, but that didn't stop it from being an annoying hindrance.

Tawnypelt breathed in deeply as she crossed the line, unconsciously relaxing when the warm scent of ThunderClan washed over her. She shook her head quickly to rid herself of the familiar feeling and bent down to the ground, sniffing carefully at the leaves and grasses. Just as she expected, the scent of Tigerstar and two other cats were implanted heavily among the bush. Apparently they weren't the slightest bit concerned about masking their scent, which could only mean one thing.

A staged attack.

'_No! That means…' _She didn't want to believe it, but there was no other solution. She'd heard that her father had a massive grudge against their previous clan, but she didn't want to believe that he would do something like this. However, the more she analyzed the situation, then the more it made sense to her. He was trying to get revenge for getting exiled from ThunderClan, although Tawnypelt couldn't recall what he was exiled for.

'_I have to stop him before he kills them! He might…he couldn't have found out…could he?' _Of course! The kits probably had mixed scents at birth! Since Tigerstar had been one of the first cats to visit her kits, he'd probably picked up on the mixed scent and recognized it! Which meant…

'_No!' _Panic raced down her spine as a sudden realization struck her.

"He's going to kill Snowfeather!"

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MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Didn't see that coming, did you? X3 I'm a bad author, I know. I'm guessing…roughly around two chapters left of this story. The next chapter being the conclusion and then the epilogue. Well, it's been fun but this story has to end sometime. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to drop a quick review before you leave!


	22. Bloody Valentine

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. Honestly, I don't. Do you really think that the likes of 'THIS' could ever be from a published author? Seriously, my writing sucks. Erin Hunter is/are a genius. End of story.**

**I'm…such a terrible author. XD Some of you didn't understand what I meant by mixed scents and all that…so I'm going to explain it. You see, I thought that I remembered reading something about half clan kits having mixed scents or something like that, so what I meant was that Tigerstar recognized the scent from a previous encounter. Sorry to confuse everyone! XD**

**Anyway…so, end, and probably the shortest chapter. I can't believe this thing will finally be over! WAHOO! Just one more after this! I am so excited! (This fic has literally been up for a year now…that's SAD. Lol) So, enjoy the chapter!**

**Also note: I've decided to not include the whole TigerClan, LionClan thing and jump straight to BloodClan, although I won't elaborate on that. I changed things around a lot, so yeah.**

_"You mourn the death of your bloody valentine…" – Good Charlotte_

Chapter 22: Bloody Valentine

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Death.

Such a word brought the strongest dread in some, yet some held no fear. Some even embraced it, happy enough with their life's achievements that they were more than happy to leave the world behind.

Death was feared, resented. But what _was _death anyway? Snowfeather had never really pondered it, but the thoughts were racing through his mind now.

Was it a journey up to StarClan? Or was it something more? What did it mean to be dead?

But most important of all…would he be missed when he was gone?

Scarlet blood coated his white fur, the stains so deep that Snowfeather knew they would never truly come out, no matter how many times he washed his fur. It was engraved within him, much like a scar, reminding him that if he _did _come out of this alive by some miracle, he would be scarred for the rest of his life. Strange how it sounded so familiar to Brightpaw.

The cat before him was heavily muscled, clearly powerful in all assets. His claws were scratching the ground angrily with every step he took as he circled Snowfeather, is eyes narrowing with increasing madness.

Snowfeather shivered, feeling the life slowly draining from his body. Whether he escaped the fight or not, if the bleeding didn't stop soon…there was no way that he would make it out of this alive.

He'd been tracking his clan when he was attacked. Before he knew it, sharp claws had raked his sides and face, injuring him badly before he even got the slightest chance to retaliate. Of course, Snowfeather had no doubt that if he'd been able to hear, he would have heard the other cat before he was tearing him open. It probably would have saved his life.

Snowfeather knew that the brown tabby was taunting him, clearly unaware of his condition. However, he could only stare dumbly at the older tom and hiss angrily when he came too close.

"I…I can't hear, so save your breath…" He finally gasped, a threatening growl rumbling from his chest. Eventually, he gathered up the strength to leap at the tom, taking him by surprise, although not disabling him altogether. Snowfeather was quickly dealt with.

He'd been no match for the other cat from the start. Even if he'd been a fully healthy cat, he would never have had a chance to beat him. As he lay bleeding to death on the grass, Snowfeather allowed his gaze to follow the tabby as he slunk off into the bushes, a few sleek shapes appearing from the shrubs to follow him.

The rain began to pelt heavily all of a sudden, as if weeping for the bloody battlefield that was ahead. Snowfeather could smell several different things: dogs, ShadowClan---no doubt from the cat, rain, and blood. The stench of blood was so sick that it would have made him retch had he been able to muster up the strength to do it, but as it was, he could barely lift his head.

'_I'm going to die.' _It wasn't a question. He knew that he was going to die. His fate had been sealed the second he made the decision to step out of camp.

'_No…before then…' _He hadn't even been expected to survive in the first place. Perhaps this was his punishment for surviving his kithood? To lose everything that he loved, and then have the life he'd been granted stripped away from him in a bloody bath of revenge?

The pain was so great that Snowfeather could barely muster up the strength to breathe. He couldn't move at all.

'_I want to see her…one last time…' _Tawnypelt. He really needed to see her. He truly loved her more than anything and hadn't been able to see her in a long time. For all he knew, his mate could be sick and dying somewhere, or worse.

'_I wish…I could tell her how much I love her.' _There were so many things he wanted, but he wanted this most of all. There were other things that he wished he could do, like watch the developing relationship between Brightpaw and Swiftpaw, hunt underneath the stars, raise a few kits with Tawnypelt…hell, he even wanted to get closer to Cloudtail. He'd do anything, to just _be able _to do these things.

But no…there was no bargaining with fate. His was sealed through a bond of blood. He was to die right there while his clan was fighting for their lives nearby, unaware of his presence, nor the deadly cats lingering close by. They were in great danger, yet he could do _nothing_. He was completely helpless.

It was getting harder and harder to breathe now, and Snowfeather gasped, desperately pulling air into his lungs. It didn't help however, and soon he was gasping for yet another one.

Through it all, the rain continued to fall.

Suddenly, Snowfeather felt frantic vibrations rumble through his fur, indicating that someone was indeed coming his way. He wanted to run in case it is the attacker, but he couldn't move a muscle.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of a beautiful tortoiseshell pelt.

'_Thank you, StarClan.' _Snowfeather closed his eyes in silent contentment, happy that he'd been able to see her one last time. Slowly, he opened his eyes once more to see her standing above him, a shattered expression upon her face.

"I love you, so much." He breathed, watching his blood stream across the ground with the water. "I'm sorry…that I can't hear your beautiful voice anymore."

Her eyes widened, realization dawning on her. Suddenly, Snowfeather felt her nose press deeply into his fur, ignoring the blood pooling at his side.

He couldn't hear her, but somehow…he knew that she said it.

_"I love you too, please don't leave me!"_

He wanted to respond, but instantly knew that it was too late. So, he merely shut his eyes in contentment and allowed his last bit of consciousness to leave him.

When he opened his eyes, he was standing in front of a group of transparent cats.

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"NO!" Tawnypelt screeched, knowing that every creature in the forest had probably heard her. Yet, she didn't care. Not one bit.

She pressed closer to the limp white body in front of her, calling out his name desperately as if he would suddenly wake from his slumber and tell her that _everything was all right _and that he _loved her _and everything would be _ALL RIGHT…_

Her heart clenched in pain and she nearly doubled over, gasping when the overwhelming stink of death drifted up her nose. Along with something else…

Suddenly, anger started to boil within her.

'FATHER!'

He'd been the one. Her own father had inflicted the injury upon her mate that had led to his bloody death. Tigerstar was probably using this as an excuse to inflict pain on the clan he formally belonged to.

Letting a hiss escape her throat, Tawnypelt forced herself to ignore the dead body of her lover and raced through the shrubs, not caring about the noise that she was making. She was seeing red.

Tigerstar was going to _die_. Whether or not she had to inflict the final wound upon him with her own paws, she didn't care. Tawnypelt was determined to make sure that her father met his final moments right then and there.

_'I can't believe I ever trusted him!'_

Her thoughts were cut off when she burst through the bushes, seeing several injured bodies lying on the ground, including the dead body of Bluestar, which had obviously been dragged back up the cliff.

But this didn't shock her the most. Oh no.

It was the sight of her father dead underneath the paws of a small, black cat.

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…..

**I've had this planned for a long time now. I really have. Please don't kill me?**


	23. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I regret to inform you that I do not own the Warriors series. This fanfiction is merely something that I randomly came up with one day and decided to act upon.**

**Well, here's the last 'chapter'. It's not really a chapter…but more of an insight to what happed a while after. Just so you know, everything is settled down now. I did a time skip, so I wouldn't have to deal with BloodClan and get right to the point. I know that it might sound lazy to you, but I honestly don't remember how they stopped BloodClan…-Sweatdrop- **

**Also, I realize that some of you are very upset about the ending. I'm terribly sorry about that, but this entire story had a theme that I wanted to keep hidden until the end…hence the title, 'Fates Wings'. It's something that I thought really deeply about.**

**Anyway, enjoy the last installment. I hope you all will come back for my future stories! =D **

"Fate - something that unavoidably befalls a person." – Dictionary dot com

Epilogue

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The wind rustled through the forest, carrying the various scents of small furry creatures, along with the numerous plants that reside there. The air was chilly and damp, proof of the rain that was soon to come. In this weather, only three dared to brave the oncoming storm.

Tawnypelt sat near the almost unnoticeable mount of dirt, her nose buried in the small hill. She wrapped her tail tightly around her two shivering sons, who snuggled closer to her warm body. They had grown much larger and stronger and would soon become apprentices.

It had been several moons since Snowfeather had passed away. Not too long after that, the cat that had killed her father, Tigerstar, had been dealt with as well. BloodClan had been quite the hassle, but it had taken her mind off of her dead mate for the moment. The second it was over, Tawnypelt was overcome with a grief far beyond her comprehension.

Snowfeather had been buried on the border between ThunderClan and ShadowClan, which was near the thunderpath. They'd also reached an agreement between the two clans that Tawnypelt and her kits could visit the grave when they wanted to, as long as they refrained from stealing food. Tawnypelt was more than grateful for this.

"Mom, why did father die?" Patchkit questioned, sticking his delicate velvet nose out farther to sniff at the dirt mound, as if hoping to catch a whiff of his father's scent.

"He died trying to defend his clan; a noble death." Tawnypelt sighed, pulling back from the dirt when a single raindrop landed on her nose. "Come on, let's go sit under this tree for a few minutes."

Both kits were about to wail in protest, when the heavens finally opened up and began to unleash its fury upon the disobedient kits. They squealed in surprise before bounding after their mother. They shook their coats as dry as they could before settling down beside Tawnypelt underneath the large tree.

"I wish that we could have met him." Fernkit spoke up. He tended to be the more thoughtful of the two, although he was rather playful. Patchkit on the other hand, was loud and noticeably more blunt than his brother.

"I wish that too. There isn't a day that I don't wish I had told him about you before he lost his hearing." Tawnypelt mewed, her eyes still focused solely on the grave from a distance. "It's my fault, I'm sorry."

"Don't say that, Mom." Fernkit, the ever-considerate one, meowed quietly, his deep amber eyes taking in the shape as well.

Tawnypelt merely sighed and sank down closer to the earth beneath her, feeling her eyes droop in exhaustion. If they didn't leave soon, she was sure to fall asleep on ThunderClan territory. That wouldn't be good, even if she was allowed over there.

"Come, we must return." The kits moved to protest again, but Tawnypelt sent them both a stern look, which quieted them in an instant. "We should have left before it started to rain. Now, we'll just have to hurry. We can't have you both catching a cold before your apprentice ceremony, can we?"

Both instantly brightened up, their heads filled with thoughts of their soon to be acquired apprenticeship. Only a few days left.

Tawnypelt shook her head in amusement before a look of serious concentration settled on her face. She sniffed cautiously at the thunderpath, her ears swiveled in both directions to make sure that no monsters were coming.

"Run across!" Tawnypelt ordered, immediately tensing her muscles to spring across as well. Only when the two kits were across did she bound over the path to the other side.

"Mom, can we play with the other kits when we get back?!" Patchkit questioned, his small body quivering with excitement. Tawnypelt shook her head in response.

"You have to eat first." Patchkit pouted for a few moments before speeding up, his eyes flashing at the prospect of food.

Tawnypelt was about to push through the ferns that would finally leave her out of sight of ThunderClan territory, when a warm and slightly eerie feeling washed over her. Stunned, she halted and hesitantly turned, startled when she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Although slightly frightened, she was comforted by the strange feeling as well. She couldn't explain why, but it felt as if…could it be?

She shook her head quickly to stop the thought before it could fully form itself. There was no way.

So, she bounded through the ferns, calling in annoyance for her kits that were already speedily scampering through the bushes.

She was completely unaware of a pair of warm blue eyes that watched her, attached to a transparent form of a white cat. A twinkle appeared in his eye before the form disappeared, leaving no trace that it had been there in the first place.

"_I'll always watch over you…it is my fate."_

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**Okay, so basically the entire theme of this story, was to emphasize my theory: that some are fated to die early, no matter how they attempt to escape death. In this fanfiction, Snowfeather escaped his original death, but ended up dying at a later time, as was his fate. It could be assumed that the same happened to Swiftpaw, but I'm not going to include any more of that. I'll leave that to your imaginations.**

**Anyway, this is finally done. I'm so proud of myself for finishing this! =D I would like to take a moment to point out that there is a fanart for this fic on deviantart, which was drawn by my amazing friend Kalo. She might also have a few more in the future. Besides, she draws amazing Warriors fanart in general, along with some YGO stuff if anyone is interested. I strongly urge you to look her up.**

**Jane for now! :3**


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